Lost To Find
by Griever11
Summary: Chapter 10 has been uploaded!It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye. ML post AJBAC.
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer: **So not mine.. blablabla... If it were though, S2 wouldn't have happened. LoL.

**A/N:** This is my first fic.. Sopls r&r and tell me what you think. On with the show..

**Lost To Find**

**Chapter 1: And Who Are You?**

_No one is waiting for you. You're all alone. And you'll stay alone._

I'm not alone. He's out there. Waiting. Patient as always.

_Everyone let go. They're not holding on. He's not holding on_

He's holding on. He promised. He won't leave me. He won't.

_You're dead to him. And he's moved on. Away from you. You're alone._

No!!

* * *

She stared straight ahead. There was nothing else for her to do. Then it began again. Pictures flashed across her eyes, words being drilled into her mind. DISCIPLINE. OBEDIENCE. 

She couldn't blink. She was trapped. Faces appeared and disappeared. Ben, Tinga, Zack, Brin. TRAITOR.

She screamed, but no one heard her. The people around ignored her. _I'm Max. I'm Max. I'm Max. My name is Max. And they can't hurt me._

And then it stopped. Max blinked. She could blink. The clasps around her hands were undone. She looked around, puzzled. It always lasted longer.

A man walked up to her. 'Go to the Director. She wants to see you,' he said pointing to the exit. 'You're in for it this time,'

Max watched him silently. 'What are you waiting for, freak?' he sneered at her. Max got up and walked off. Her heart hammered against her chest. The bitch wanted to see her.

* * *

The pain seared through her flesh. Tears streamed down her cheeks but she would not give Renfro the satisfaction of hearing her scream. The fire licked at her hungrily. Max held her silence but she was in so much pain. 

'Again!'

She was hit again. Kicked and punched. Her blood trickled down to the cold, hard floor. 'Who is Eyes Only!' Max bit her lip to keep herself from crying out loud. Her hands that were tied above her became numb. Her body became numb. She didn't even feel the pain anymore. She closed her eyes.

The X7s holding the flaming sticks stopped, confused. They pulled the sticks away. They stared at the woman bound in front of them unsure of what to do. Max's body hung limp in front of them, black where she was burnt.

'Ma'am, she's unconscious,'

Renfro spat on the ground. 'Nothing but a weak, pathetic soldier after all.'

She turned around and faced he X7s. 'Leave her here. A retrieval team is on the way. You are to be reminded that what you have just done is to be kept under code E54. If any other person finds out about this you will end up just like her. Understand?'

The X7s looked at each other fearfully. 'Yes, ma'am.'

* * *

Logan stared blankly at the screen. The words swum in front of him, making no sense. Then again, maybe it was the effects of the alcohol. His head hurt. 

'Damn you, Max,'

Six months had passed since he held her dying body in the forest. Six months of misery. Six months of a billion 'what-ifs'. Six months of drowning his pain and sorrow in alcohol.

This was supposed to be the last time he got this way. He had made a promise to Cindy that he would move on. Max wouldn't have wanted him to suffer, she said. She would've wanted him to go on living. Living for her.

* * *

_Are you alone?_

Yes.

_Why?_

He left me. Alone

_Who?_

Him.

_Where is he?_

He moved on.

_And where are you?_

Home.

_And who are you?_

X5-452.

'Good, 452. Very good,'


	2. Of Guns and Psychics

**Disclaimer: **Dark Angel belongs to James Cameron and C. Eglee, not me. So don't get confused. HAHA. Like actually possible...

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone who reviewed and made my day.. haha. Anyway here's chapter 2... This is for my 2 cousins who were injured in the Tsunami attack. Ming Yan andCorey. Love yall... Here we go..

**Chapter 2: Of Guns and Psychic Powers.**

She stood, poised and ready to conquer the task set before her. A sniper rifle lay on the ground, glinting in the setting sunlight. Her target, 50 feet away and unaware of the death which would soon befall him wandered in the clearing, picking fruits which were to be the dinner he would never eat.

She lowered herself to the ground, carefully remaining hidden in the undergrowth. She stared at the rifle on the ground, hesitating.

Flashback

Eva held the gun aimed at the colonel. No mistakes in her stance, her concentration not wavering. She meant to shoot him. There was aloud bang. For the few seconds after that, Max honestly thought Eva had shot him. But then it hit her. Lydecker was standing. Eva wasn't.

End Flashback

Why was she doing this? _For him._ But was that a good enough reason?

"What are you waiting for, 452?" Her superior snarled behind her.

"Identifying the target, sir,"

Max took a shaky breath and picked up the rifle. It was heavier than she thought it would be. Maybe it was the extra weight of the guilt caused by betraying Eva's memory. She realized she was trembling. She was a soldier. Soldiers don't regret.

But she regrets what she has become. She hates herself for being weak. She hates herself for giving in. She shuts her eyes and clears her mind.

"We haven't got all day, 452. Do you want me to fail you? I'm sure the Director would love to punish you if I did." Her superior smirked, knowing that his last remark would hit the right nerves.

She turned sharply towards him. "I can't concentrate with you constantly on my back…"

She pushed the memory of the last torture session away. Too much pain. She clicked the safety button off and took aim. She spots the old man crouching near a berry bush. She counted silently in her head.

3…

2…

1...

She pulled the trigger and the shot rings out in the forest. Birds fly out of the trees, angry that their calm had been disturbed. The old man clutched his chest, 50 feet away and falls down, lifeless. Just as Eva did so long ago.

She drops the rifle and stands up, her emotions a mix of anger and remorse at what she had just done. _I'm sorry, Eva…_ She gazes at the sky, wishing she was one of the birds. Free. As she once was before.

A tap on her shoulder brings her back to reality. "That was perfect. Right in the heart, 452. Good work," her superior grinned, apparently proud of her.

She rearranged her exterior, masking the pain she felt, pulling up the walls she so expertly built around herself.

"I'm glad," she answered. Her smile was grim, seeking forgiveness from Eva, from Zack, from Logan.

"Pack up, 452. We're leaving at 1730 hours and there should be no trace of us ever being here. The Director expects us back by 2000 hours. Make haste."

She nodded. She bent down and picked up the bullet casing. Sneaking a look at the old man, she sent a silent apology to him. I had to do it. I'm sorry. She spotted a rusty blade on the ground. Looking around and making sure her superior was no where in sight, she picked it up and quickl scratched a few words on a tree. She stood back and stared at heer handiwork.

I'm halfway home. Halfway free.

* * *

Director Elizabeth Renfro watched the screen in interest. The subject had been broken. It had taken a long time, longer than the others, but 452 was worth the wait. She was worth it.

'That's her then?'

Renfro nodded and turned to the X5 standing behind her. 'Yes. What do you think?'

'I don't know. She killed him didn't she? So she should be on our side now. About time too.'

'When she gets back, I want you to make sure she's in top form for Operation Eagle Eye. Understand?'

The X5's eyes widened in surprise. 'A mission so soon, ma'am? Are you sure that's wise?'

Renfro slammed her hand on the table. 'You are not here to question me, 494. Your orders are to make sure 452 is physically and mentally fit for the mission. You do not question your superiors.'

494 looks down. 'Yes ma'am.'

Renfro turned back to the screen and an evil smile started to form on her already evil face. 'Besides, we need 452 to prove to us that she has been turned. Completely.'

* * *

Cindy lounged on the couch and watched Logan tinkering around on his computer. He had moved on, she knew. But the pain of losing Max still hurt for him. Hell, it still hurt for Cindy.

'Are you sure that this is gonna work, boo?

Logan turned around and gazed at her. 'It will.' He knew it would work. He could feel it. And then he smiled. 'This is for her. You know that. And everything goes right for her,'

Cindy nodded at him. How he changed so fast she didn't know. All she did know was that one day he just woke up and decided to stop drowning his pain in alcohol. He stopped blaming himself for her death and was on the way to being his old self again. Although she knew he was torn up inside, it was good that he was going out and about again. Good to know that Eyes Only had not forgotten all the downtrodden he had to protect.

She got up and walked over to Logan. 'Aaight, so maybe my girl makes everything go right for her. But how do _you_ know?'

'You really want to know?'

'Yeah, duh!'

Logan turned back to his computer. He started pulling up files and his grin got bigger and bigger. 'Okay. Look,'

Cindy stared at the picture grudgingly. It was a grimy shot of a forest probably took by an amateur who didn't know what he was photographing.

'Look at the upper right hand corner.'

'Original Cindy ain't seeing nothing that proves that her boo's alive.'

Logan blew the picture up and added the contrast and sharpened he picture. Cindy gasped.

'So I'm thinking you see it now, huh?'

Cindy leaned closer to the screen and shook her head in disbelief. Logan had focused on a tree at the corner of the picture. There, etched on the bark of the oversized tree were the words _Max ½ way home. _

'It may not be her.' She said softly, not wanting to get here hopes up.

'It is. I know it. Look, there was a body found there two weeks ago, Kyle Anders, 56 years old and living alone. A bullet right through the heart. No traces found of the killer within a 20 mile radius.'

'The investigation was closed. No one really cared about an old man who lived in a forest anyway. An informant sent me this wondering if Eyes Only wanted to look into it. I combined that picture with the ones taken at the scene of the crime. And I realized you had a clear shot from here to where the man was found dead, here.'

Logan opened another file and pulled up another picture, with a body on the ground beside some sort of wooden hut.

'Assuming the sniper stood here, where the tree is, then the old man was definitely killed here. So what I'm thinking is that Max was there, with a group of them, on some sort of Manticore exercise and she took the opportunity to carve those words there.'

'That's over the top, boo. What if it's a total coincidence?' Cindy asked, wondering to herself why she was the pessimist all of a sudden.

'Cause it's not. Look, Manticore is near there anyway. It's very likely they would conduct some sort of training there. Maybe target practice or something. Whatever it was they were doing there, I'm sure Max is involved.'

Cindy considered his words. And then-

'If you're so sure Max was the one who carved those words then didn't you tell Original Cindy in the first place? Why go round and round the bushes?

Why did you just keep it to yo'self? You want my boo to be alive just as much as I do. Why tell me at the last minute?'

Logan was surprised. He didn't expect Cindy to question him. 'I wasn't sure whether it was really her,'

'And now you are?'

'Yes. After I saw that reaction on your face, I'm pretty damned sure it's her. I mean, you and I are the only people who know her so well. Tell me, Cindy. Doesn't your gut feeling tell you it's her?' Logan said.

'Well… yeah, but that's whack,' Cindy replied. 'You sayin' we have some sort of super powers, psychic connection to my boo?'

Logan laughed. He wheeled away from the computer table and stopped at the shelf near his television. He picked up Max's Jam Pony ID he kept there and held it up to Cindy.

'Not psychic, Cindy. Just love.'

* * *

End of Chapter 2 . Plz review.. 


	3. Seeing

**Disclaimer: **Not mine and never will be...lol

**A/N:**Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. More welcomed ;P.I know this took a long time, but life was in the way. I don't think this is as good as the previous chapters, but I hope you enjoy this anyway.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Seeing**

She ran her tongue along her cracked and dried lips, willing herself not to feel the heat. She was drenched in her own sweat and she was very sure she stank. What did they care? Hygiene wasn't very important here.

"4 more minutes, 452."

She blinked. 494's voice startled her. She looked up and saw him through the glass. 4 more minutes of this and she would be done. She shut her eyes again. It was easier that way. She could pretend. Pretend that she was home. Pretend she couldn't feel the pain.

Two weeks had passed since she was told that she had to undergo physical and mental training. Two weeks since she had slept. Since she had eaten properly. She didn't care though, it all brought her one step closer to home.

She lost weight, she knew. A lot of it. But the muscles that replaced it were worth it. She felt stronger. Faster. Her arms could break practically everything. Her feet could run forever. All thanks to the two weeks of torture. Her record of 4 minutes under water had been broken and now she could go on to even 10 minutes.

She was scarred everywhere from the times she wouldn't listen. Her bones were broken for every time she answered back. She learnt the hard way that it wasn't right for a soldier to drink water when she wasn't told to.

"You're done. Get up." 494 said through the intercom. The glass doors of the heat room slid open.

She slowly got up and willed her feet to move. 3 hours in the room of 130 degrees left her feeling lightheaded and weak.

"Water?" 494 held out a glass.

She nodded and took the glass from 494. She drank it, knowing that it was the only glass she was going to get. "Thank you"

494 shrugged. "No problem. It was your last task anyway. You deserved it." She looked at him surprised. "Last?"

The blonde X5 nodded. "Yeah. The director is moving forward the mission. And I think you're ready. Physically and mentally. So you have one week to recuperate, get your energy back and we're off."

* * *

His hands flew across the keyboard as if they were on fire. His eyes were sore, he could feel them tearing up after hours in front of the computer screen. He couldn't give up. Not now. He was so close. So close to finding her.

Connection Terminated.

"Dammit!" Logan slammed his fists on the table. So close…

He typed more furiously, if it was possible. Logan swallowed hard, hoping that luck was on his side this time. After so many hours figuring out the passwords, all that was left to do was getting into the mainframe. After he did that, finding Max would be easy. But the internet connection was disrupted every few minutes and it was getting very infuriating for him.

Connection To Establish in 180 seconds.

He hit the enter key. A sudden shrill ring startled him. _The phone. Its just the phone._ Making sure the line was secure he pressed the answer key.

"Yeah?"

_I got what you need. All of it. Every picture, from every angle._

"You're kidding me. Are you serious?"

_Yeah. The security was rubbish. Didn't even know I was there. And you want to know the best part?_

"What?"

_I saw her. I saw my baby sister, Cale. I saw her._

Logan's heart skipped a beat. He was speechless.

_Buddy, you there?_

"Yeah, Krit. I'm here. Just…just surprised. That's all. You saw Max?

_Yea. She was kicking some ass. Probably some sort of physical training. She looks different, Cale, but I swear it was her. We're gonna get her outta there, right?_

"Definitely. Hey, Krit?"

_Yea?_

"Thanks. For everything"

Logan set the phone down. He looked back at the screen, not really seeing it. Max was alive then. A beep from the computer alerted him.

Accessing Mainframe…Proceed?

A grin slowly spread across his face. Logan adjusted his glasses and hit Enter again. Looks like luck had really arrived.

* * *

"Report, soldier." Her voice was crisp, commanding.

"452 has completed P&M successfully, mam. I believe that she's ready for the mission. Everything was conducted according to plan and she passed every test."

"No glitches? No problems?"

494 shook his head. "Except for the shooting, none."

Renfro nodded. "Good work, 494. Operation Eagle Eye commences in 2 days. Be prepared. Assemble your team and report back when everything is in order. Dismissed."

He turned to leave, but paused and looked back. "Is Eyes Only really that worth it?

Renfro studied the young X5, not expecting the question from him. "Yes. Because even if it doesn't come through, it will show us where 452's loyalties really lie."

* * *


	4. Fuck

Disclaimer : I don't own anything (except my imagination, if that counts for anything.) I'm dirt poor. Really.

A/N: God its been ages hasn't it? I can practically hear everyone going " GASP She's actually alive?" I guess real life interfered. Corey went into depression. Excuses you say, yea kinda, but I got this chapter up right? The next chapter is halfway done, by the way so you really do not need to wait like a whole damned year for an update..LOL...

I really appreciate all of you who took your time and reviewed. Got me through one of the most difficult times of my life. I guess this is me saying thanks to EVERYONE who bothered clicking that tiny blue button at the bottom left corner of the page.

**Chapter 4: Fuck.**_  
_

_Sometimes she sits, staring at nothing. But seeing, always seeing. Carefully analyzing, decrypting the strange signs the forest was sending her. The sun rises and birds start leaving their nests. Free. Unlike her. Sometimes she screams, but no one hears her. No one wants to hear her. She doesn't belong. She never did. _

_It's always cold. Unfriendly. Making her feel unwanted. She is unwanted._ Zack. _Where is Zack? Jondy? Tinga? They left me. She sits silently at the edge of the forest. If only I didn't fall. If I was strong like them, they wouldn't have left me. She picks up a stick and flings it into the green. A bird soars. Free._

_"Hey!"_

_She turns around, squinting her eyes to avoid the glare of the sun._

_"What are you doing? It's freezing!" It was a girl with wavy, long…hair? Civilian. She studied her, taking in the winter clothing, mufflers, gloves. _

_I'm stronger than her. _

_"You shouldn't be out here. Come inside, mummy's making breakfast. Bacon and all that. You look hungry." _

_The girl was innocent, no need for fear. Young. _Like me. _Bacon? Nourishment. She nods slowly, suddenly aware of her hunger. The girl smiles. She starts walking away from the forest. Then turns back. _

_ "What's your name?"_

_She stiffens. Trick question? No, this is not Manticore. This is the World. It's just a question. She looks up, tilts her head to one side, seeing the other girl at an odd angle. She smiles, her first smile in the World. _

_"I'm Max"_

She woke up, memories of her first days out of Manticore haunting her. It was dark out. But then again, it's always dark. The cold, bare cell had a single window. Small, barely even the size of her head. She got up, pushing the memories away. She felt better. Not so tired anymore at least. And definitely stronger.

Her throat burned with thirst. How long had she been sleeping? Stretching, she tried to remember the last few weeks. Hard as she could, only bits and pieces came back to her. Running for hours on end, fighting multiple targets who never got tired. She sighed. How long could she go on before breaking? Before she gave in to the pain, the torture? _As long as my name is Max._

How long had she been here? Two months? Three? She couldn't remember. She didn't even try to. She had more important things to do. _Like getting out of this hellhole._ She heard footsteps, near silent footfalls, expertly keeping to a rhythm. Guards. Watchers. Her highly acute sense of hearing noticed that they came closer, louder. At her door, they stopped. Keys jingled, bolts were removed and the door swung open.

"Director wants to see you."

She blinks. "So late?" she says, her voice sounded strange to her ears.

The guards nodded. X4s, she noticed. Not capable of long speeches. Not as advanced as X5s. But still strong. _Not as strong as me though. Hah._

They waited, watching her. Daring her to disobey and refuse to go. _I'm not stupid, you know._ She exited and the X4 shut the cell doors. She had a thought, a sudden inspiration to rebel. To run. And then just as it came, it disappeared as if it never existed in the first place. Taking a breath, she started to walk. The X4s followed closely behind her.

494 was already waiting for her at the door to the office. DIRECTOR RENFRO. Big bold letters etched onto the door. She pondered the words. Director. Like her life was not already like a crazy TV show gone wrong. She smirked. No freaking director could fix that.

"You actually came." he asked, a hint of sarcasm coating his words.

"You people just think I'm a stupid little girl, don't you?" She replied, voicing her earlier thought. She lifted her hands, showing him her scars. "Cause I let you do this to me." She puts them down again. She glared at the cocky X5.

"I'm not a Barbie doll."

494 shrugged, an actual smile gracing his features. "Of course you aren't. Spent half your life outside in the cold, cruel world didn't you? Made you stronger and all that."

Max knew this was a test to see if she had been broken. One of the many that she knew was about to come. _I'm not stupid. Really._ "It didn't make me stronger. Made me weak. Vulnerable. Kinda like a bitch of a seizure. I'm not saying Manticore is paradise. But it's one hell of a better place to be in."

It was apparently a good enough answer for 494. He leaned against the sturdy door. "Anything worth escaping for out there? I mean, friends, boyfriends or girlfriends if you're that kinda girl." _Eyes Only, maybe? _494 watched her expression, trying to detect the telltale signs of a person lying.

Unfortunately, Max was an expert when it came to masking her emotions. "No. I was nine. What the hell did I know? Sure as hell didn't realize that it was just another if not bigger prison. Especially after that damn pulse. It sucked. Big time." She sighed. "And no, I'm not that 'that kinda girl'."

Again that seemed to be the right answer.

"Why are we here anyway?" she asked, testing the waters to see if she'd passed the 'I trust you enough to tell you' test. 494 said nothing, but raised his eyebrows cockily at her. After a moment he turned his back to her. "You ready, 452?"

The question barely registered in her mind before she realized 494 had knocked and entered the office. Regaining her composure, she followed him in. Seated behind a sturdy wooden desk was Elizabeth Renfro, a woman Max had learned to hate in her weeks of captivation at Manticore.

_Guess all that crap in front of the door _was_ a test after all. Who woulda thunk…_

"All set, ma'am" 494 reported, standing at attention in front of Renfro. "Ready to proceed to Stage 3."

Renfro got up and made her way to the two transgenics in front of her. She paused in front of Max. "State your designation."

"452." She said, her voice devoid of all emotions, fists clenched to her sides. _Bitch._

Still staring at Max, as if willing her to make a mistake Renfro handed 494 a folder she had been holding behind her back. "Details of the operation are inside. Go through it thoroughly, both of you. I do not want any mistakes. The elimination of the target is Manticore's first priority."

Max was miles away. Small talk bored her. Especially when it involved a mission she probably would never complete. She knew this day would come, but not so soon. She knew they would trust her. After all, Manticore was one hell of an arrogant organization. They didn't anticipate her bluffing her way through the psy-ops or brainswashing. Hardly seemed believable that they thought their brainwashing capabilities could override the years of freedom spent outside.

Then again maybe they never had someone like her before. Someone who had people waiting for her when she got out, places to be. _I've been highly underestimated. Your loss._

As if sensing Max's half heartedness in the mission, Renfro took a step back, still studying Max intently. "Are you really ready for this, 452?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" _Ready to bust outta this joint, I mean. Sorry to disappoint you._

"Then I expect nothing but the best. From the both of you. Manticore's biggest problem at the moment will cease to exist if this gets pulled off properly. Eyes Only will be a thing of the past."

**_Fuck…_**

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Now all those saw that coming raise your hands...counts hands And thats all of you. Congratuations, Griever. You have achieved status :** duh. predictable.**

Review? Please?**  
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	5. And The Walls Come Tumbling Down

**Disclaimer:** See previous chapters. And I'm still broke.

**A/N: **See I told you it wouldn't be another year before I updated. Well, I'm back and this story is so gonna kick ass. I hope. That is if my muse doesn't decide to disappear and leave me for another better human being… Which has happened before, mind you.

Thanks to all those who dropped a review : Mari83, huntress k, idlehands452, Bob, and BlueAngel137. You guys make my day. Hope you like this next chapter. If the timeline gets confusing, just remember that some of what happens here took place while Max was being uh…tortured in the last chapter.

Anyway, read and drop a review, please?

00000

**Chapter 5: And the walls come tumbling down**

He had never seen his apartment so messy before in his entire life. Papers were strewn about, empty boxes of food were everywhere, on the couch, the tables. His carpets were stained and in the middle of the mess were six of probably the most deadly super soldiers ever created in the world.

"Pizza's here!" A tall leggy brunette shrieked from the living room as she realized he had come back. "Here let me help." She said as she made her way to him, taking three of the six boxes he had brought with him.

"Thanks, Jondy."

"You know, that's not gonna get you an extra piece, J." A handsome blonde man said, taking another two boxes from him. "Logan you're a life saver. We were starving. And Krit ate all the leftovers from last night." Logan grinned, thankful the load had been lessened. "Well, I've had you guys around for almost two weeks. Doesn't take a genius to realize you're hungry all the time."

They made their way to the kitchen. The other five had busied themselves clearing up the dinner table, stuffing the mess into various cupboards and cabinets. Logan made a mental note to get them to clean the mess after this was done.

Within moments, four of the six boxes of pizza had been emptied. The table was crowded, not meant to have seven people seated there at one time. Logan watched them eating silently and realized how they had become his family in the short time they had been together.

Jondy, tall, leggy and dark haired had been the first to arrive, together with Zane in his BMW 5 series after getting the message Syl had sent out using the contact number. He wanted to do a hack, an Eyes Only broadcast to get them together, but realized that Manticore would be keeping tabs on Eyes Only after the very damaging but failed broadcast he had made weeks earlier.

He had not expected them to come so soon, thinking they would be apprehensive about exposure but apparently saving their sister was more important. Zane was blonde, with streaks of black highlight in his hair and looked like a pre pulse rocker, his left ear pierced from the top all the way down to the lobe.

Fin had arrived a week later complete with her collection of guns and grenades. How she had managed to smuggle them past the sector cops, Logan didn't know, but they needed all the help they could get and he wasn't going to complain. She had a head of shocking orange coloured hair, always tied back into a pony tail. She was small, he realized when she first stepped through the door and was nearly a head shorter than Jondy. Her eyes were bright blue. Contacts, she said, because her brown eyes were really boring.

They had waited another two days before Kaiser arrived. He apologized, his girlfriend had been giving him problems, he had said. And with that, they got down to business. He was a ballistic expert, getting the guns modified with Syl supplying the ammunition. Zane had stayed well away from them, sharing the same distaste for guns as Max had.

Now, nearly two weeks later, they were ready. The blueprints of Manticore had been acquired and the security had been checked out, thanks to Krit. He remembered their conversation a month ago, the feeling of elation when he realized that Max was still alive, still out there.

He was going to get her back. He got up and cleared the plates as the rest of them disposed of the empty boxes. He glanced towards the living room, guns arranged neatly in the corner, the grenades and C4s in the boxes ready to be used.

They were finally ready. They were ready to destroy Manticore.

ooooo

Walking through the corridors, Max felt a sickening cloak of dread consuming her entire being. Eyes Only was her target. The objective. The fucking mission. She should have expected that. She should have known Manticore was capable of taking away everything, in this case her sole reason for escaping. She had to warn him somehow. Make sure he was safe. But for now, it would have to wait. She had too little to go on and the folder she was supposed to take a look at was currently in the possession of the X5 beside her.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

Still walking, 494 turned slightly to Max. "Examination. Last minute preparations for the mission." He said. Max nodded, taking in her surroundings. The smooth bare walls, the hollow sounds her boots made as they made contact with the cement floor. She remembered the shadow puppets when she was younger, their only form of entertainment, besides the stories of the Blue Lady Ben told. She shut her eyes momentarily.

_Ben._ She never thought she'd see his face again, her brother, so lost and confused. But here it was, that face. Boyishly good looking, perfect, just like they were made to be. _But he's not Ben. Ben's dead. You killed him. Remember? _She kept on walking. _He's at the Good Place. _She turned her head slightly, silently studying 494 when something odd struck her.

"Do you have a name?"

494 stopped walking, turning abruptly towards her. "Say what?"

"A name. Other than X5-494. Do you have one?" Max said. She didn't know if this question would eventually cost her her freedom, but she needed to know. To know if 494 had a little human side to him. She heard the X6es at night, whispering in the dark, calling themselves names only Manticore soldiers could think of. It was possible 494 had another name.

494 raised his eyebrows. "No. Why would I have one? It's not like I need it. 494 is good enough for me. Why do you ask?"

"I hear the X6es at night. They have names for themselves. I thought you might too. Guess I was wrong." She said, hoping she sounded flippant enough. No need to make him suspicious now that she was so close to the end.

"Well, okay." 494 resumed walking as Max followed closely behind. He stopped again, as if to say something else, but after taking a deep breath, he continued forward. And then, he stopped and spun around. "You don't fool me, 452."

Max heard the alarms going off in her head. _No...Not when I'm this close! Please…_ She took a breath to calm herself down. "I don't know what you're talking about. Let's just go." She looked at him as if to hurry him up and marched onward.

She didn't hear his footsteps behind her and she turned. She saw 494 grinning in satisfaction at her reaction. He had found her out. She had been too careless. She exhaled loudly, now watching 494 expectantly. She bit her lip nervously. "When are they coming?" she asked, stripping off all the emotions in her voice.

494's grin grew even bigger, if it was possible. "Oh, I didn't report you, traitor. Not yet."

He walked towards her, winking as he passed her. "And now, you're probably wondering why." He let out a small laugh. "If you're not too busy recovering from the disbelief."

The initial fear of being caught drained away as her brain registered what 494 had said. The fear instead was replaced with irritation. There was something about the tone of Shaking her head, she followed him once more, knowing they were getting closer to their destination.

"Well, smartass, I've recovered. Now why didn't you report me.?"

"Watch your language, 452."

"Why didn't you?"

"452, you're really full of surprises aren't you? I didn't think you were so eager to go back to psy-ops. But if you really want, I guess I could swing it."

"That's not funny." she said. And then, "What do you want from me?"

"Look." He paused and glanced back at her. "I don't want trouble. In any form or function. I want to do this, get it over with and be done with it. Anything you do after that, is none of my concerns. As far as I know, we were both given a mission to complete. Once we do that, I come back and keep my reputation. Whether you come back or not…" He stopped, leaving the sentence unfinished.

Max looked at him confused. _What the hell…_

494 took one look at her confused state and sighed. "You're not too smart, are you?" He said, earning a heated glare from Max. "In short, we kill Eyes Only. Then you go ahead and do whatever you please. I'm coming back here. I've got a roof over my head. Plenty of food to eat, which is more than most people have out there. Bottom line is I need you for this mission. That's it. Once we kill him, you go your way, I go mine. Is that so hard to understand?"

Max could have screamed in relief. She still had a chance. 494 was only looking out for himself. And then she realized what he had said. _He wants me to kill him? And then escape? No. Wait. Hold on…_

"What makes you think I won't blaze right after I get outta here? What makes you think I'm gonna wait till after I kill him?"

"You know what, you really crack me up. I bet you were a comedian. No, wait. You were a cartoonist, weren't you?" 494 was openly laughing at her. Max, being the object of his amusement was annoyed. Irritated. And she didn't like it.

"I'm not even gonna dignify that with an answer. Oh, shut up…will you? You know what, you should have a name. I'm gonna give you a name." Max said.

That caught his attention. He narrowed his eyes. "Oka-ay. A name, huh?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna call you…Alec. As in smart alec."

494 shrugged his shoulders, a small smile playing on his lips. "I guess I could live with that."

"Good. Cause my second choice was Dick."

The newly named Alec grinned. "What do I call you? Hey, how about-"

"Max. You can call me Max." she cut off. She really didn't want to hear any suggestions from the guy. Knowing him, it probably would've been something along the lines of Barbie, or Bunny. She cringed at the thought.

It sounded nice to hear her name again. After god knows how long, it was good to be able to say her own name. Max. It was as though that single syllable had awakened parts of her that had been asleep through all of the torture. It gave her hope. _I'll beat them. I'll beat them and they'll never get me again._

"Okay, I'll call you Max. But if anyone asks, they're the names we're using for the mission. Don't want them to put us through reprogramming, do we?" Alec said, as Max realized they had reached their destination.

The sign on the door read 'E-024' _E, for examination. No...E for escape. I'm going home. _

Alec placed his hands on the fingerprint recognition device and the door clicked, now unlocked. Max turned to him, unsure if she should enter first.

"After you, _Max_" He said, answering her doubts. She pushed the door open and swallowed in fear. It finally dawned upon her why Alec had laughed at her notion of escaping earlier. She would have too, if she had remembered. She blinked. Once, twice, hoping she was wrong. Tears threatened to fall, her body remained frozen at the entrance.

Seeing the white walls, the computers and the whirring machinery in the room, it suddenly all came rushing back to her. Her vision blurred, memories flashed past her eyes as she realized what she had done. She remembered. She remembered the torture, the bits of memories slowly piecing themselves together in her head.

_Eight months. _Eight months she had been in here. Almost a year gone. She remembered the reprogramming, the psy-ops. She screamed at herself, wishing she didn't remember all the pain. But no matter what, the pain of torture couldn't compare to the pain of remembering how she betrayed the love of her life.

oooooFLASHBACKooooo

"Make it stronger."

"Ma'am it would kill-"

"I said make it stronger."

She felt the pain, the surge of electricity shooting through her, numbing her nerves. She screamed, tears falling freely now, and as she struggled to break free she felt the pain lessen.

"Who is Eyes Only?"

"I…don't …fucking…know." She said, waiting for the next round of pain.

And it came, stronger more painful than before. She tasted the blood running down from her nose, her hands cut from the restraints holding her down. She screamed again, the pain blinding her for a few seconds. She never knew pain like this. The burning, the torture, it all paled in comparison. She felt herself losing consciousness. But even that was impossible. It hurt too much.

She was punched in her gut. She felt it, the wind being knocked out of her, coupled with another surge of electricity through her.

"Tell me, or the pain will continue, 452."

She couldn't speak anymore. Her mouth wouldn't move. Her limbs went limp as she ceased the struggling. Her breathing was laboured, every intake of air hurting her lungs. Her vision blurred as her body throbbed with pain. The electricity coursed through her veins, burning her, hurting her. And then, she didn't feel it anymore. She felt empty. Lost.

She slept.

"State your designation."

"X5-452."

_My name is Max. Say Max. Max…_

"Who is Eyes Only?"

"Logan Cale."

_Wait. Stop. Why am I saying this? No._

"Really? And his current position?"

"Seattle, Ma'am, Sector Nine."

_Who's talking? STOP! Stop talking! Stop it!_

"Thank you for your cooperation, 452. We appreciate it."

"Yes Ma'am."

……………

And then she realized what had happened. The pain. The pain had been too much and she couldn't handle it. Max Guevara had lost to the pain. And to save herself, X5-452 had surfaced. The soldier in her made her appearance and saved her. It was what they had been taught after all. The soldier had taken over, doing what had been drummed into her the first nine years of her life. She gave in to the soldier. Emotionless, stoic and swearing her loyalty to Manticore, she was Max no more.

She cried inside, helpless, knowing what she had done. And then,

_It shouldn't have happened. I'm weak. I gave in. I betrayed Logan. Erase her, Max. Forget her. She never existed. Forget her, Max. _

And she erased the pain. She got rid of the guilt in her heart and she forgot.

oooooEND FLASHBACKooooo

"What's wrong?"

Alec's voice broke through her fading memories. She shook her head. "Nothing."

So she'd supplied the information. She had single handedly betrayed Logan. She could feel her heart practically shattering into a thousand pieces. _Its not the time to do this, Maxie. Later. Now, focus. _

Taking a deep breath, she entered the room and once more took in her surroundings. _That was where they held me. _She realized, her hairs standing on end. _And the chains…And that electricity thing. Damn. _

"Here. This is yours."

A white metallic case sailed towards her and she caught it deftly. She put the case on a nearby table and snapped the latches off. "A gun?"

From the other end of the room, Alec nodded. She watched him assemble his gun and turned to her own. The parts glinted in the light, as if they were mocking her. She touched the cool surface of the metal and she remembered the old man she had killed two, maybe three months ago. _I'm sorry…_

She expertly put the parts together and stole a glance at Alec who was now busying himself with the ammo. "Hey," she called across the room. Alec turned to her his eyebrows raised questioningly. "What did Eyes Only ever do to Manticore?"

Alec smiled now and walked to her, handing her a box of 9mm bullets. "He's a pain in the ass, that's what. He did a broadcast the other day, tried to expose us. Expose Manticore. Lucky for us the Director has connections in certain places, managed to turn the whole thing into a big joke. Must've been a blow Eyes Only. You know, that's why she moved this mission forward. Take him out before he becomes a bigger pain in the ass."

Max nodded silently. She now understood the reason for the obsession with Eyes Only. If he had succeeded in convincing the public about the existence of Manticore, who knows what might have had happened. Alec now watched her, amusement dancing in his eyes. He cleared his throat and continued staring intently at her.

Max sighed and turned to meet his gaze. "What?"

"Just… you know… wondering."

"About?"

"About how you knew Eyes Only."

_I broke in one day, he pointed a nice big gun at me and thanked god I was a cat burglar. Funny how things work out._

Max lifted the now loaded gun and let it hang loose by her side. She shrugged. "I did-"

But Alec never did get his answer because at that very moment, a loud explosion filled their ears and before they both knew it, they were flying backwards, the full force of the explosion throwing them against the walls. The windows shattered, shards of glass cutting them. It took them both a full minute to recover from the impact and as they got up, dazed and confused, they realized the room was in flames.

Max ran to the door, acting on pure instinct now. Alec was not far behind. He picked up the gun and was beside Max in an instant, placing his hands on the fingerprint panel. "We gotta get out of here."

"Ya think?" Max said irritably, choking on the smoke now filling the room. She realized her shoulder had been dislocated from the bang against the wall and she effortlessly popped it back into place as the door clicked open. The sight that greeted them was utter chaos. The corridor was in flames, X series soldiers running everywhere.

Screams of panic and fear echoed down the corridor as they both took off, running as fast as they could from the burning inferno threatening to engulf the entire building.

UNAUTHORISED PERSONNEL DETECTED ON THE PREMISES. SECURITY LOCKDOWN IN 15 MINUTES.

Max didn't know what had exploded, who had caused it or why, but she knew one thing. She had 15 minutes to escape. 15 minutes to break free. And she was going to make use of every spare minute she had to do it. She let Alec get in front of her and she veered a sharp left, into more chaos and panic. Good. Now she had lost him, it was time to blaze.

00000

A/ N: Now, that was an amazing end to the chapter. Right? Right? Okay, sothe name thingwas from the original season 2premier. But I can't keep referring to Alec as 494, can I? Its just not fair. So that part was from the ep.Tell me what you think about the rest of the chap…Next chapterup soon.


	6. Walking Through The Fire

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. Well, except Fin and Kaiser. And I'm still broke. Broke for Christmas. Imagine that.

**A/N:** MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!

Well, another update, just in time for Christmas. How…exciting. Well, thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter. Seriously, you guys ROCK!

My beta, Tanya gave me this brilliant idea. Reviews updates. It's been done before, I know, but I'm giving it a really interesting twist…

**Less than 10 reviews for this chapter, Max and Logan don't reunite until Chapter 8,**

**But**

**More than 10 reviews and they reunite in the next chapter. **

So, happy reading, peeps and Merry Christmas!

**Chapter 6: Walking Through The Fire**

It was nerve wrecking. Once again, he was in the damned van, sitting in front of the damned computers, talking into the damned coms. He knew he shouldn't complain. He wouldn't stand a chance being with the rest of them, in the facility itself. He knew he was probably the only person who could do what he was doing. Computers were his thing, raiding and destroying Manticore was not. So here he was, Logan Cale, the great Eyes Only sitting in a van, far away from the actual action.

He fixed his eyes on the screens in front of him, studying them, guiding the six X5s through the maze of hallways, corridors and rooms. It was more difficult than the last time. They had jumped over the fence with ease, but upon entering, he realized the security had been tightened. X7s were everywhere and it seemed almost impossible to navigate the six around them.

Krit was with Zane searching for the control room, Kaiser and Fin was on 'explosion duty', armed with C4s and planting them in the hallways that they passed through. Syl and Jondy were the rescue team. Their sole purpose on this mission: Get Max.

20 minutes had passed and Krit had already gotten shot twice, due to a run in with a stray X6. He was quickly taken care of by Zane before he could send out the alert. No other problems so far, the rest being able to get rid of the threats before they were detected.

"Take a left, Zane." He spoke into the mic as the camera picked the two of them up. "Two soldiers down the corridor, straight ahead." He watched as Krit took them down with his modified 9mm. "Okay, you're clear."

He focused now on the two women. No trouble so far. "Jondy there should be door to your right. I'm overriding the access code right now. Go in and take the second right turning. You should be in the living quarters." He said as he typed in the commands into his computer. "You're through."

He watched the door slide open as Jondy gave him a thumbs up sign.

"We'll get her, Logan. Don't you worry." Her voice crackled through the speaker in his ear. "I know." He replied.

"Shit. Fin, stop. STOP!" He yelled. Fin, in the monitor stopped abruptly, the C4 she had been planting sliding and falling with a thud to the floor. "Get out of there. Now. A whole squad of X7s are heading your way." He said. Both Kaiser and Fin took off running. He scanned the blueprints in front of him for a way out. "Turn. Turn now. Left now, Fin…Fin I think they got us." He said fearfully as the X7s he had been studying suddenly took off the way Fin and Kaiser had ran.

"They smell us. They fucking smell us." He heard Kaiser swear in his ear. And then, the alarms came on. The screens flashed red, INTRUDER DETECTED blinking on his screen.

"Alpha team has been detected. Attention all teams. Alpha team has been detected. Be on the alert." He said to the mic, his voice a hundred times calmer than he was.

"Beta, you're clear. They haven't noticed you. Sigma, you're almost there. Take another right. Alpha, there should be a corridor on your left. The X7s are right behind you."

He watched uncomfortably as they ran. Krit and Zane had gained access to the control room and typing frantically on the key pads. "Logan, it's no good. I can't release the doors. The alarms probably sent the whole system into a lockdown." He heard Zane in his ear. Logan swallowed, his worst fears being realized in front of his eyes. "I'll try doing them from here." He said.

Fingers flying across the keyboards, eyes quickly reading the information running down he screens, he knew it was impossible. A lot of them will die. Locked in, shut inside the prison they knew as home. The plan was to free all them, blast the facility and be free. Lock down the administrative block, the people in there could burn in hell for all he cared. But the soldiers, the hundreds of them, they didn't deserve to die. And then he had a thought, ridiculous, risky, crazy even, but still…

"Krit, Zane listen to me. You have two blocks of C4s. Right?"

They nodded into the cameras. "Blow it up."

They looked up, startled. "What?" Logan took a deep breath. "I know it's crazy. But it might work. Blow it up, old school style. Blow up the control room." He said. Krit turned to Zane, then to the cameras. "I knew you were spunky." He said as they both took out the explosives and placed them on the metal surface of the control pads.

They backed out of the room, scanning the hallways for soldiers. They fished out their detonators and pressed down hard on the button. White light filled the monitor for a few seconds, and then he heard shouting in his ears. "Logan, it worked. The doors are unlocking. But we've got one hell of a welcoming committee on our tail." Zane's voice yelled in his ear.

It was as though the entire facility had awakened from a deep sleep. Soldiers were running down the hallways, filling every inch of his monitors. "Sigma, abort. Abort. There's no way you can take them. Not with only one gun. Take the next door on your right and it's clear all to escape route B." He thanked the gods that they had discussed all the escape routes that they could use if the need surfaced. The need was surfacing.

"Beta, what's you're position?"

"The doors are all unlocked, but we can't find her. Evaded two groups of X6s. They don't realize we're here. Where to now?" Syl's voice rang loud and clear in his ear.

Logan switched the camera feeds and found them. True enough, the corridors were deserted. But then a figure moved swiftly towards them, running fast and alone, two hallways away. He almost stopped breathing.

It was her. He was staring at his love, his angel.

A green command box appeared at the bottom, flashing and pulling his eyes a way from Max.

Self destruct initiated. Locking down blocks A to E.15 minutes to total destruction. Staff evacuate immediately.

"Beta, you're gonna have to move fast. They're gonna blow up the block you're in. I see Max, three hallways down. The doors are not gonna open. Jondy, you have to work your magic on some of them." He said.

"Gotcha."

He found Kaiser and Fin, en route to the escape route E, soldiers right behind them. "Detonate the explosives. Alpha, detonate the explosives." He called through the mic. A bullet whizzed past Kaiser. He saw them turn, detonators in hand. "Boom." Fin said as she pressed the button.

The hallway they had just run through burst into flames and they took off again. The soldiers behind them fell back, as they rushed frantically to escape the fire. Other hallways burst in to flames as well, the explosives planted there earlier doing their jobs. The flames spread quickly and the panic and chaos escalated in the facility.

"We're out." Fin said. "Heading to you now." Logan breathed a sigh of relief.

Only Beta and Sigma left.

ooooo

The alarms were blaring. The red blinkers along the corridors started flashing. It was pure chaos. There were people everywhere, running, shouting. Alec stood in the midst of it all, unsure of what his next step should be. Max had disappeared in the chaos and he had no doubt she would take this as her chance to escape. The question was now, would he follow her and attempt to leave the only place he had ever considered his home?

An X7 ran past him and he lashed his hand out, grabbing the young boy's arm. "What's going on, soldier?" he asked. The X7 stared at him fearfully, as if he was afraid to answer. "What's going on?" he repeated, a little louder. The noise of the alarms, coupled with the frantic sounds of people running about was deafening.

"Sir, there's been a reported intrusion. They're putting the facility in a lockdown. The self destruct system has been initiated and everyone's trying to get out before it happens…Sir, we have to get out if we want to stay alive." Alec let the X7's words sink in slowly. He let the boy go and he immediately vanished among the crowd of soldiers rushing to escape.

_Self destruct, huh. Looks like I'm getting out of here whether I want to or not. Wonder what kind of intrusion he was talking about. Well, none of my business. Time to jet._

00000_  
_

She'd lost Alec in the middle of all the panic and had taken that chance to look for an exit. She avoided the pushing and rushing of the other soldiers and found herself in a relatively empty corridor. She had came across a very suspicious looking door and turned the knob, not knowing it would be the start of a very long round of escape and evade.

She heard it before she knew what was happening. The all too familiar whisper of fire crawling towards the explosives. Before she knew it, she was running for her life.  
She had barely turned the corner when it exploded. She felt the heat rushing towards her, and heard another series of explosions from behind. She turned another corner. More corridors. One to the right, another to the left. Fire behind. Close behind.

_Shit. Of all times to get lost. You're so smart, Max. Avoid everyone else. Go exploring. Dammit. Where now?_

She took a deep breath and turned left. She ran again. The windows exploded and smoke billowed out. Her eyes started to water as her ears picked up faraway screams of fear. She ran faster, knowing the fire was catching up to her. Her eyes widened as she realized she was running towards a door. A solid metal door. She gritted her teeth. _This is going to hurt like a bitch. _

She took a running leap and kicked her legs out. The momentum sent her flying through the air. But the second before her legs made contact with the door, she knew she wasn't going to make it.

The impact nearly knocked her out. The door was still standing, not so much as a scratch on it and still very solid, in no way was it going to let her pass through. Her feet throbbed in pain, ankle twisted, broken maybe. She slumped against the door, her back welcoming the coolness of the metal. _Why is it cold? It should be hot. Fire hot. This is irrelevant. _

She was losing it. She choked, the smoke entering her lungs. The fire was so near now she felt her skin burning.

00000

"The fire's getting closer, Jondy. Hurry!" The voice in her ear practically yelled at her. The fire had spread faster than any of them had expected and was now gaining on their sister. "Logan. Calm down. We'll get her." She spoke, trying to soothe him.

She watched Syl plant the C4 against the wall and backed away. She pressed the detonator, blasting a hole through the wall.

There was a solid metal door in front of her, electronic keypad to the side, smoke creeping out from under it. "Jondy, your turn. Make it quick, please?"

And then she heard a loud thud from the other side. Jondy was already busying herself with the electronic keypad, Logan giving her instructions in her ear.

The door clicked satisfyingly and slid open.

00000

Tears streamed down her face, not because of the smoke, but because she knew it was over. _Logan I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. _She sobbed, feeling helpless. The fire was there now, right in front of her. She pulled her feet in, wincing in pain and curled herself into a ball. The fire licked at the soles of her boots, singing the material of her clothes.

She was hurting. The fire was burning her. Her heart broke.

_Ju_st _let me die._

Black. Everything turned black. And she welcomed the darkness.

00000

"Shit. Get her outta there!" Syl yelled. They'd opened the door and Max's body fell across their feet, almost lifeless. Jondy dragged her up, slinging an arm across her shoulders as Syl did the same to the other arm.

The smoke was so thick they could hardly make their way out.

"You got her?"

"We got her, but she's unconscious. We're almost home." Jondy replied, coughing the smoke out of her lungs. "But you're paying for our medical bills if we get lung cancer."

Syl almost laughed. They dragged their sister to the hole they had made earlier in the wall. They stepped through and took deep breaths of the relatively clean air. "Syl, I got her. Make sure we got a clear path out." Jondy said as she realized they didn't have much time left.

Syl nodded. She let go of Max and stepped in front. "Two more turns and we're outta here." She said, more to herself. Jondy carried Max, following Syl closely.

Every part of her body hurt, her ankle throbbed, but she could already feel it starting to heal. She could smell the smoke around her and the drops of water from the sprinklers on the ceiling.

00000

Someone was carrying her. One hand under her neck, the other behind her knees

_Please let it not be Alec...Please let it not be Alec…_

_Only one way to find out. _

She opened her eyes slowly, blinking against the sting of smoke.

"Who the hell are you?"

Jondy looked down. Max's eyes were open, confused it seemed. She let her down from her arms slowly. Syl had stopped, hearing her voice. Max got on her feet gingerly. "I'm Jondy." She said simply, letting Max draw the conclusions herself.

"Jondy?"

Max blinked, the events of the past half an hour coming back to her. She heard Syl speaking into the coms, telling whoever it was on the other side that she was awake. The continuous blaring of the alarms gave her a headache. She shook her head and stared at Jondy. "Jondy, huh?"

"Yeah okay. If you haven't noticed, dear beloved sister who was thought to be dead but really is still alive, this place is about to blow into smithereens. We gotta go. Introductions later." Syl called back, looking over her shoulders. Max chuckled and nodded.

"Lead the way."

"You hurt too badly?" Jondy asked her after a careful study of her sister. "Twisted my ankle earlier, but it's healing. I can make it." Max replied, testing her ankle. "Let's blaze."

They ran onwards.

ooooo

"Ma'am, 7 minutes left." The soldier reported.

Renfro shut her eyes, her dreams and hopes for Manticore crumbling in front of her eyes. Already the fire had destroyed the entire east wing of the facility. It was spreading very quickly. The system had been hacked into, she knew. By the same person who had hacked into it so many months ago.

The soldier stood in front of her, eyes staring straight in front of him. "You may leave." She said, dismissing him with a wave of her hand. The soldier blinked, surprised. "Leave, Ma'am?

"Yes. Go, leave. Follow the rest if them. Three quarters of you have already made it past the perimeter. Join them." She said, her eyes opened and fixed upon the soldier in front of her. The soldier lowered his head and backed up, out of the room and ran.

7 minutes. 7 minutes to the destruction of Manticore. 7 minutes till the entire life work vanished in smoke. Literarily. She sighed and sat back down in her chair. She keyed in a string of commands into the computer. The picture on the monitor changed. She knew the camera feeds had been set in a loop. And now, she watched as two women in fatigues carried 452 out. She watched as two more intruders ran towards the northern exit, shooting down a group of X6s in their way.

Down the drain. Everything down the drain. She didn't think she'd ever feel this way again, not since…But now, she felt hopeless. She watched as the hallways burst into flames and the soldiers who were trapped in the midst of escaping. Screaming, surrendering themselves to their death.

5 seconds to self destruct.

And so she waited. She was going to die, together with her hopes, her dreams. And what better way to die? As Manticore was destined to burned to ashes, so was Elizabeth Renfro. She had resigned to the fact that this was the end fit for her. She shut her eyes again as she heard the alarms dying away. She welcomed the silence that followed, the only peace she had experienced in a long time.

The explosion deafened and blinded her. But she didn't feel the pain. She knew at once that she had died. And maybe…maybe she wanted to die.

-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

A/N 2: I don't know if I overdid the Logan part, I personally thought it was too…longwinded. But Tanya told me not to change anything. So hit me back and tell me? Maybe I need a new beta…

I'm just kidding, T…

Review, please…


	7. Broken

**Disclaimer: **Not mine and never will be…

**A/N:** This chapter was done ages ago, but I really didn't like it. I mean really LOATHED it. So I erased the entire thing and started again much to the horror of my dear and wonderful beta (who hogged this for a week by the way.) I got it back and she suggested I joined it with bits and pieces of chapter 8 and it was a good idea so I did.

Anyway, this is the end result. Hope you enjoy!

P.S. Please review…Come on people, I got 140 hits the last chap and only 6 reviews. Not that I'm complaining, but you guys can do better than that right?

**Chapter 7: Broken **

They jumped the fence just as the building exploded. The heat was scorching, burning through their clothes. The heard the walls collapse, dust and smoke polluting the atmosphere. The three of them ran as fast as they could. They heard shouts and screams in the air as everyone realized the danger they were in and rushed to save themselves.

"You okay, sis?" Syl yelled as Max ran ahead of her. She nodded, ignoring the pain in her leg. The forest was rushing past her in a blur, the tree branches smacking against her bare arms and scratching her. '_09 all over again. Only this time it's not freezing. Quite the opposite._ She thought to herself, jumping over a fallen tree.

The forest was noisy. Running footsteps filled the air as Max realized that they weren't the only ones in the forest. She spotted X6s, X7s flitting through the trees, running past her in a blur. The forest was smoky and her eyes started to water. The fire had spread quickly and was eating through the forest. Jondy caught up with her and motioned with her hands for them to stop.

She stopped, narrowly missing a running X7. "Why're we stopping?" She asked. Jondy nodded to a corner behind her. "We don't want the others to know we've got a way out." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. Max nodded, understanding. "What's gonna happen to them?" She asked.

Syl shrugged. "Who knows. They're on their own now."

"But don't we have a responsibility…" Max trailed off, suddenly realizing the implications of what they had done. Jondy shook her head. "We did them a favor, Max. They're free now. What they do with their life is none of our business. And let's not talk about this now. We gotta go."

Max felt bad. Guilty even. There were going to be hundreds, thousands of transgenics running loose and half of them were just kids. She couldn't dwell on the subject however, because Jondy and Syl had started moving stealthily through the forest. _I'll think about the others later. _She thought as she joined the other two.

"How far exactly is this van?"

Syl turned to Max, a small smile playing across her lips. "Not too far. Can't wait to meet your boy, huh?" She watched as Max's cheeks started to color. "He's not my boy." Max replied more out of habit than actually meaning it. Syl smirked, casting a knowing look at Jondy. They both grinned.

"Wha…at."

"Nothing. We're here, that's all." Jondy said, still grinning.

Max looked around. _Here? We're in the middle of nowhere. What the hell…_She was about to ask what they were talking about when Syl pointed silently to a bunch of trees in the distance. "There, behind the trees." Jondy said quietly, words meant only for the three of them to hear. They scanned the area for any stray soldiers and quickly headed towards the trees. _They're hiding a van THERE?_

They squeezed between the thick trunks Max stared in wonder. The forest had disappeared. Literally. It was an open clearing, devoid of trees, grass and undergrowth of any sort. Trees surrounded the area, hiding it from prying eyes and was the ideal place to hide a van. A dirt road leading out disappeared from her view as it turned into a corner.

The black van parked in the middle of the clearing glinted under the sunlight. The doors slid open as four men and a woman stepped out, smiles playing on their lips.

Max felt her pulse quicken. There he was. The blonde spikes, scruffy beard, everything she had dreamt of at night. She had stopped walking, although she didn't realize it. She held her breath as he slowly walked towards her, the faint whirring of the exoskeleton getting louder. A smile slowly spread across his face. He stopped in front of her, so close she could smell his cologne.

"Hey, you."

She smiled back at him. "Hey yourself." His arms came around her, enveloping her in a warmth she'd never experienced before. She brought her arms around him, returning the hug, pressing herself closer to him. His head pressed against her shoulders as he whispered into her ear.

"I missed you." His breath tickled her ear and sent tremors of pleasure shooting through her. "I missed you too." She whispered back. His scent surrounded her. She felt his arms loosen and she stepped back.

"Maxie." The woman with the orange hair said as she came forward and hugged her. "Fin…" She said as she recognized the features of her older sister. "Kaiser, Zane…" She turned to them respectively, the more pleasant memories of her childhood resurfacing. "We were so worried. You didn't answer your comms." Zane said.

Max looked at Jondy, question in her eyes. The brunette shrugged. "Guess they must have fallen out during the escape. We're here, we're safe. That's all that matters, right?"

The group nodded collectively. Logan's hand found Max's and he squeezed it gently. Max looked up at him and grinned. "You really missed me, huh?" Logan nodded. "Borderline crazy. Ask Bling, he'll tell you all about it." He rewarded her with one of his dazzling smiles and leant in towards her. Max licked her lips in anticipation and raised herself up on her toes. She wasn't sure who initiated the kiss, all she knew was that she was kissing him back.

Her hands went to around his neck as she pressed herself closer to him, unaware of the other people watching. His fingers went to tangle in her hair as his tongue sought entrance into her mouth. She parted her lips with a sigh and he dove in, exploring her mouth, clashing with her tongue. They were lost in their own world, everyone else forgotten. So what if they were making out in the middle of the forest crawling with transgenic escapees. They were making out.

Someone tapped Max's shoulders, bringing her back to reality. She pulled away from Logan as her cheeks turned crimson. "Had enough?" Syl asked, one hand on her hip. Max nodded, still out of breath to say anything. "Everyone's ready to leave. We got everything packed while you two were rediscovering puberty. Let's get outta here."

She turned and they followed her wordlessly. Max climbed into the van, squeezing past Jondy, Zane and Fin to get to the back with Kaiser. Logan got in after her and settled himself beside her. Krit adjusted the rear view mirror and looked behind from the driver's seat. "Ready to go home?"

Max grinned as she leant back into Logan's broad chest. "Ready as I'll ever be."

00000

The police had arrived two hours after the explosion. It was a mess of reporters, fire fighters and people surrounding the charred, burnt remains of Manticore. Helicopters circled around in the air, adding to the noise of the day. The television crews of various channels were talking to their cameras respectively about the accident that had occurred that day.

Alec hid behind a news van parked and watched as the people in charge did their thing, poking around in the rubble, carrying bodies into the ambulances. _This is wrong. This shouldn't have happened._ Another body was carried out and pushed into the back of the ambulance.

"They're kids. They're all kids." He heard someone say. "You shoulda seen the one Gary found. Barely ten years old. Had a weird tattoo at the back of his head."

Alec heard footsteps approaching and hurried behind another van. "I think all of them have that. Barcodes. And they're all wearing military uniforms."

Alec touched his own barcode, making a mental note to get rid of it the first opportunity he had. He ducked behind a tree as the two men he heard talking earlier got closer, camera crew behind them.

"There was something, some time ago, that loon on TV, Eyes Only. He said something about a covert military operation around here, conducting experiments on kids.

You think this is it?"

The other man scoffed. Alec watched as the two made their way to the van he was hiding behind earlier. "That guy is a whack job. He was talking about manipulating DNA. Mixing animal parts with human parts. That's gonna take like another decade. Nah, this was probably some screwed up detention camp with some screwed up mental cases."

They got into the waiting van as the camera crew stored their things in the back. Alec looked around. No one else seemed to be leaving yet. The doors slid shut and the engine started up.

_It's now or never…_

Alec ran to the van as it was pulling away. He caught hold of the handles of the back door and yanked them open. He stepped in and pulled the doors back in. It was small and cramped, but who cared. It was his way out.

He settled himself between old boxes scattered on the floor and leant back into the metal wall. Manticore was gone. His purpose, his mission, everything he had lived for just wiped out in that one second. The administrative building had been locked down, he knew. The director would probably be dead, along with anyone else who could resurrect Manticore. What was he supposed to do?

_Alec. That's what she called me…Alec. I guess that's a start. Wonder where she is now? Manticore's gone for good. What the hell am I supposed to do…_

The van lurched as it went over a bump in the road. Alec sighed. Of course he'd been outside before, missions all around the country. But that was different. He had an objective, a purpose. Now…

Now he would have to start to live. Really live. And somehow, the more he thought of it, that idea didn't seem as bad as he thought it would be.

00000

His head hurt, his chest hurt, his arms hurt. He'd never felt so sore in his entire life. The run out of the burning building had weakened him. Funny, because he didn't remember being weak before. In fact he didn't remember all too much. What was his name? No idea. Where did he come from? That burning place. No…the name of the place? No idea.

He dragged himself to the small river and dipped his hand into the cool water. He splashed the water onto his face, instantly feeling more awake. He stared at his reflection intently, trying to remember. Blonde. He was blonde. Okay.

He got up and walked back out of the forest. The road was empty and quiet, the people earlier having left after the excitement wore off. He trudged along the side of the road, ignoring the throbbing pain in his leg.

He heard a car approaching far away and stopped. He lifted his hand, gesturing to whoever it was to stop. The car slowed as the windows slid down. "Need a ride?"

He bent down, looking into the window. "Yeah."

"Oh my god. Sam?"

00000

They had dropped the others off at various Eyes Only safe houses around the city and were now making their way slowly through the traffic to his penthouse. Max was tired, the escape taking more out of her than she had expected. Her leg had fully healed now and her butt had numbed from sitting motionlessly in the van. She had moved to the front after Krit and Syl had been dropped off, Logan taking Krit's place as the driver.

She was cursing the traffic now. All she wanted to do was to lie down on a big bed and go to sleep, instead now she was stuck in a traffic jam, the car barely moving in the last half an hour.

"Isn't there another way outta this traffic?" She asked Logan. He shook his head. "No. Besides, all the other roads are like this. Another ten minutes, Max, and we'll be home, okay?"

"You said that half an hour ago." She said, turning to look out the window. Logan smiled to himself. His hand reached out to hers and held it, his thumb caressing her palm. "I promise when we get home, I'll make it up to you."

Max turned back to him as he said that, just in time to watch his eyes travel down her body and back up. "You'd better…and keep your eyes on the road." Logan chuckled as he realized he'd been caught. The line moved forward and he brought his hand back up to the steering wheel. Max missed the warmth of his hand almost immediately.

_Manticore turned me into a girly girl… How ironic._

They passed the sector check point a few minutes later and the road was clear all the way back to the penthouse. Max looked up at the building as they neared it and remembered all those nights in Manticore she spent dreaming of coming back, picking the lock and surprising Logan with her presence. It was the only thing that kept her going. Well, she was here now, and as Jondy said, it was all that mattered.

Logan parked the car and made his way to the elevators. Max followed behind him silently. The doors slid open and shut as they got in.

"You want to stay? I mean, if you want to I could get you to Cindy's…" Logan said, misinterpreting her silence as a hesitation. Max looked back up at him, surprised.

"No, yes…Whichever means I wanna stay. It's just…its been a long time. I dreamt of this, coming back here, coming back to you. And what if…if this was all a dream? And I wake up tomorrow and I'm back there…I-"

She didn't get to finish because before she knew it, Logan's lips found hers and was kissing her passionately. She kissed him back as he backed them both into the wall of the elevator. His hands cupped her face as his tongue explored her mouth, tasting her. He was out of breath soon and pulled away.

"Any of your dreams include that?" He asked, grinning at her and noticing her slightly swollen lips. Max shook her head and smiled back at him. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Logan stepped out and fished his keys from his pocket. He unlocked the door and they both walked into the penthouse.

The lights flickered on as they entered. Max looked around and noticed that nothing had really changed. A few pieces of artwork were missing from the walls, but other than that, everything was as it was before she had been caught.

"It's nice to be back." She said quietly as she made her way to the couch. Logan nodded and sat down beside her. "Good to have you back, Max." His voice equally soft as he noticed her sudden change of attitude from before. She sighed and leant back into the soft cushions and shut her eyes.

"Something wrong?"

Eyes still shut, Max shook her head. "Listen…can I use your shower?"

Logan watched his angel, knowing that something was obviously bothering her. _Why won't she tell me what's wrong? _

He studied her before answering. "Of course. I'll go make some sandwiches while you're showering, in case you're hungry." He said, earning a smile from Max. He got up as Max made her way to his bathroom.

"Logan."

He turned to look at her. "Yeah?"

"Can it wait till after I eat?"

Logan smiled and nodded, realizing that Max did want to tell him about what was bothering her. She just wasn't ready. And he wasn't going to push her. They were in a different stage in the relationship now, he understood that. No more dancing around each other, hiding their feelings. No more pretending they were 'not like that'. They sure as hell were 'like that' now.

He hummed to himself as he took out the bread and the other ingredients.

00000

The sky had darkened; clouds hung low as it threatened to rain. Alec's darted around in the shadows, scanning his surroundings. He knew he had to get rid of his current attire and change into civilian clothes. The news about the explosion had alerted everyone about possible 'super soldiers' running about among them and it was making things all the more difficult for him. One look at his military issued clothes and he would be taken into custody.

He spotted a drunk lying on the ground not too far away and made his way towards him. The streets were empty, everyone hiding inside, cleverly anticipating the rain that threatened to fall. Alec nudged the drunk with his foot. He emitted a loud snore and turned around, ignoring Alec's disturbing.

"Thank you for being so kind. I'll return your kindness, I promise. Not." Alec muttered as he quickly pulled off the drunk's trousers. He undid his belt, took his own camouflage pants off and donned the drunk's pants.

_Now, to get rid of the barcode._

The drunk stirred as the early winds blew at him. Alec saw him shiver in the cold and felt a strange feeling wash over him. Compassion? Pity? He shook his head in disgust as the two words made their way into his brain.

Emotions are a weakness.

Right?

00000

They had settled into a comfortable silence after their snack of sandwiches. They sipped the wine Logan had poured for the both of them slowly, savoring the warmness of being so close together on the couch, Max leaning into Logan's chest, her fingers playing absently with his hand which had made its way to encircle her.

"This is nice."

Max looked up at Logan at his words and nodded. "Yeah. It is." She snuggled deeper into Logan, if it was possible and let his scent envelope her. She put her wine glass on the table and placed her now free hand on his thigh.

_It's now or never, Maxie. _

Logan sensed Max was about to tell him something important and he too placed his wine glass on the table. She hesitated, brown eyes meeting clear blues. Logan snaked his other hand around her and kissed the top of her head. "You can tell me anything, baby. You know that." Max nodded and began.

"I wanted this so bad. Back at Manticore, I mean. I spent so many hours thinking about this, you and me. I never got to tell you, that night, I wanted to…But you told me it could wait. But…see, the thing was I already was waiting. So many times, I could've told you, I didn't. Eight months, I wondered if, if I hadn't waited, would it have been different?"

"You were the one who kept me alive there, Logan. I mean, _alive_ alive. They put me through hell, Logan. Literally. And you kept me sane. I thought about you, about coming back, coming home…to this. And I made it."

Logan's hands tightened around her as she relieved her hell to him. He was grateful she was doing this, not because he was a sadistic bastard who wanted his girlfriend to go through hell again, but to understand her pain, and to learn how to make it go away. "Max…" He started, but was shushed by Max. She wasn't done.

"I made it Logan, I'm glad for that. I'm happy. But…but…The others, I knew they wanted to ask. I saw it in their eyes, Logan. Curious, but not brave enough to ask me. Not about Manticore, I mean…They asked about that…But not about…about…"

She faltered, tears in her eyes threatening to fall. Logan kissed her head again, urging her to continue, knowing she needed to do this. "Ask about what, baby?"

Max let out a strangled sob, forcing herself not to cry. Yet. "I saw it in your eyes too, but not so obvious." She said quietly. She pulled Logan's arms away from her and turned around, now face to face with him. "You wanted...All of you…wanted to ask about…him." She paused. She closed her eyes as the first of her tears rolled down her cheeks.

"About Zack."

Logan brought his thumb up to brush away her tears. "We were curious, Max."

Max nodded, still holding her composure. "I know." She whispered. She leant back into his chest. Logan drew her in and gently stroked her back, giving her all the time and comfort she needed.

"Logan…He's dead."

Max broke then, the sobs racking her body, wetting Logan's shirt. He didn't mind though, but it broke his heart to see his angel hurting so badly. In truth, he had expected something like that. Max couldn't have survived the bullet wound that night unless an X5 had donated a heart for her. Everyone guessed that was what Zack would've done, being their CO, feeling he was responsible for everything that happened. And it was a common knowledge among the other X5s about Zack's not so brotherly feelings for Max.

"Max, it's not your fault. You have to know that." He said to her, still stroking her back. She nodded against his chest. "I know that, Logan. I know that."

This was a surprise to him. "You do?" Max sat up again, her crying now reduced to sniffles and sobs. "That's not what…It's not the reason for this. When I came in here…This was the last place I saw him as him, Zack, not X5-599 and it hurts so bad, Logan. It's…He gave his heart for me, Logan. He died for me. He didn't believe in emotions, feelings, and yet…He died to save me."

She was whispering, her voice barely audible over the sounds of the rain pelting against the windows. She grabbed Logan's hand, as if to try and make him understand what she was saying.

"He died. I lived. And…and all I thought of, everything I did back at Manticore, every single night, it was you. Do you get it now? He should have been the reason I lived, the reason I made it out. I have his fucking heart. But it was you. He could have never got me out the way you did and I don't understand that. I don't understand. I don't."

But he did. It suddenly dawned upon Logan what Max was trying to say since the beginning of her confession. She felt guilty. She felt guilty that she hadn't thought of Zack as the one who saved her. She felt that it was unfair that it was the idea of seeing Logan that had motivated her through her time at Manticore and not Zack's death. And he now understood the source of her pain.

00000

See that button down there? Yeah? Click it and review…pretty please?


	8. Another You

**Disclaimer: **See previous chapters…

**A/N: **Um, yea…this took quite a while. And it's still a page shorter than the other chapters. I got a case of really bad writer's block, I mean, I_ know_ what I wanted to do, where to go, but the words just didn't seem to come to me…Anyway, I got that problem solved, but my exams got in the way and I had to take some time out for that…The thing is, I seemed to get inspiration from the exams. How crazy is that? Another fic got started because of it…

Anyway, many thanks to everyone who reviewed, an amazing 11 of you, more than the other chaps, I think…feedback much, much appreciated.

**Chapter 8 :**

Max woke up in the darkness, cool air blowing against her skin. She blinked groggily, shaking the sleep from her eyes. An arm was around her waist, keeping her close to a warm body.

_I swear to god if this is a dream…_

She turned around, still encased in Logan's arms. _Must've carried me inside…Sweet._ She watched as Logan slept, breathing softly, occasionally mumbling incoherent words. The eight months had taken a toll on him, she noticed. He was haggard, thinner than she remembered. But then again, she was in the same sorry state. Syl had mentioned it to her on the way back and the others had agreed with her.

The air conditioner hummed softly in the background as she committed Logan's peaceful sleeping face to memory. No one had cared about her before him. Sure Cindy cared, but that was different. Logan, Logan would go to the ends of the world for her. He would die for her.

_Like Zack did. _Said a horrible voice from the back of her head.

Max swallowed as the events of the previous night replayed in her head. She'd cried so hard, wetting Logan's shirt, until her eyes could produce no more tears. The pain in her heart had eased, knowing Logan understood. He always did, didn't he? He'd murmured words of comfort to her throughout the entire night, reassuring her that it wasn't her fault. That it was okay. She snuggled closer to Logan as she remembered, loving the warmth she received as he unconsciously tightened his arms around her.

She sighed, knowing the sun would come out soon and that this peaceful moment would end. She moved Logan's arm and got up. She took a glance at the luminous numbers of the side table clock and frowned.

_Five hours…Damn. _

She grimaced in disgust as she realized she was still the clothes she had worn the night before. Looking around the room in the greenish tint of her night vision, she located the drawer of clothes and picked an oversized t shirt and a pair of loose drawstring pants before heading towards the bathroom. She saw the exo skeleton leaning against the wall by the bed, but his wheelchair was near his closet, too far away from the bed.

_The man doesn't plan ahead…Lets see what I can do…_

Logan woke up to the sounds of running water. He groped around in the semi darkness, found his glasses and hastily put them on. She was still here. The wheelchair had been conveniently placed beside the bed, work of Max, he deduced and mentally thanked her for her thoughtfulness.

Knowing full well Max would be starving and asking for food when she was done with her shower, he quickly made his way guest bathroom to wash up before going to the kitchen to make breakfast. He knew it was going to be long day ahead, what with the questions which had been left unanswered the night before and what they planned to do with the 'transgenics roaming around the country' situation.

He had just finished making the final batches of pancakes when he heard his room door open. "Logan, I'm hungry!"

Her voice wafted through the rooms and Logan grinned at her as she appeared in front of him in his clothes. He held out the plate of pancakes in front of him for her to take and winked at her. "I know."

00000

"Becky?"

"Yeah?"

"You knew me from before, you said. What did I do?"

Becky lifted her head to look at him. He was still handsome, no doubt about that, but different. Granted, she hadn't seen him in a year, and he apparently had developed a bad case of amnesia. But still, there was something off about him.

"You never told me, Sam. You came and went as you pleased. I guess you were happy that you had a place to stay. You mentioned, once or twice about looking for your family. A sister, brother, but what, why, where, I don't know. I'm sorry." She got up and inspected his leg.

"You're healing okay. I guess a good night's sleep does that for you."

Sam nodded, still a little confused. "I never told you?" Becky shook her head. "Not once. But, I don't know, you would get calls, funny messages. I couldn't understand them, but you did. Last time I saw you, you said you had to pay someone back, for the life you've lead. But everyone leads a tough life. I don't know if that means anything to you."

It was funny. He couldn't recall knowing her, and yet, he trusted her, this beautiful blonde who'd picked him up yesterday. There was a sense of familiarity there as if he had really known her for a long time. He took another sip of the hot chocolate Becky had prepared for him.

"We were…friends? I mean, good friends?" he asked.

She paused, contemplating her answer. "Yeah you could say we were friends."

He was about to say something else when suddenly a flashback took over his mind.

-----------------------------

FLASHBACK

------------------------------

_"Let's have a look."_

_His hand lashed out, catching the other person's hand. Who the hell was this?_

_"I need to change your bandage." The man said, authority dripping from his words._

_He hated authority. "You need to back off."_

_"It's okay, he's a friend." Another person said, a lady. So familiar. Her curls, the way she spoke. _

_He glanced to his side as another man came up, in a wheelchair, laptop on his lap. _

_"Another friend?" He turned back to the lady and asked. He didn't like this man. Why, though?_

_"That's right." The wheelcahir bound man answered and exchanged furtive glances with the other bald man. The bald man moved away as the lady helped him get up._

_"Why did you bring me here, Max? I came to you for help."_

_"And that's what you're getting."_

_------------------------------------_

END FLASHBACK

------------------------------------

The flashback ended, his head now pounding. How could he remember all this, and yet, not recall any of it? He glanced at Becky, who had her back turned to him, cleaning the kitchen counter.

_That girl. I need to find her. Max. She helped me before. She might help me again. _

"Listen, if you don't mind, I'm going for a walk. I need to clear my head." Sam said has he got up to leave. Becky nodded. "Need lunch?" she asked as he made his way to the door. He shook his head and left without so much as a look back.

Becky watched his retreating back, amused. _Some things never change, amnesia or not._

00000

Alec had been wandering around mindlessly for hours. Round and round, inside an alley, out the other. He'd manage to charm an old lady into letting him use a room in her house, promising he would pay the next morning. He had left before she woke.

_Sucker._

He saw the televisions in the bars, radios blasting through opened windows. Everyone was talking about blast. Had Eyes Only been right? Was it a secret government project manipulating DNA? Or was it just a juvenile detention centre with more than their fair share of mental patients?

They were all idiots. To him at least. Whatever they found out about Manticore, it did not change the fact that there were around a thousand transgenics roaming around the country. And to top it all off, a quarter of them didn't look, well, human. He spotted a tiny shop in the distance with the signboard almost falling off.

_Time for some grub. _

A tiny bell rang as Alec entered. He sat in a small booth in the corner and grinned at the waitress who came to take his order. "What are you having today?"

He smiled at her, his well used boyish charm lacing his words.

"Coffee. And, uh, the breakfast special."

The girl returned his smile and took it down. Alec moved his hand to touch hers lightly. She looked back up at him.

"Look, I seem to have misplaced my wallet. I swear, really, I had it when I left this morning. You seem like a nice, understanding girl. God…I don't usually do this, but-" He started, his eyes fixed on hers, a smile plastered on his face, meant to melt the girl's heart.

And melt it he did.

The girl winked flirtatiously at him and nodded at him. "I do understand sir. This isn't the best part of town. Wallets go missing all the time. But, this will be the only time, right?" She said.

Alec nodded at her. "The one and only. Next time," He looked at her name tag. "Sarah, I promise it's on me."

The girl giggled. "Okay." She turned and walked away.

_This is too easy. Like taking candy from a baby._

The door jingled open and Alec looked up, for the lack of anything better to do. His eyes widened as he saw who it was.

00000

They ate breakfast in silence. Somehow, in the light of day, everything seemed different. The events of the night before were left alone, open wounds which needed time to heal. Logan watched as his angel picked at her half eaten food.

Time to break the silence.

"You okay, Max?"

She looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah. I just…I dunno. This is weird."

He let out a small laugh at her choice of words. "What's weird? Us? Breakfast?"

He managed to get a small smile from her as he said it. "No, not us, not the breakfast. Manticore is gone, Logan. I…for half of my life, I ran from them. Always looking back, checking if I was still safe, running, always running. And now, I don't have to anymore. It's just weird. Like, like everything is fine and dandy. I half expect Manticore to come bursting through your door and laugh at us, like this is all a big joke."

She sighed. Logan wheeled over to her and tugged on her arm. She raised an eyebrow at him and let out an unladylike snort as she realized what he wanted her to do. She got up and sat back down on Logan's lap. His arms came around her and stroked her back gently.

"That's not going to happen. Manticore is gone. For good this time, thanks to your brothers and sisters. You have nothing to worry about." He said. Max sighed again and nodded. She played with his shirt, twisting the soft material between her fingers. The sense of peace and quiet that had descended upon them stirred her emotions and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

She felt one of Logan's warm hands stroking her back, and the other one playing with a lock of her hair as she leant into his chest. She smiled to nobody in particular. For the moment, she liked the peace and quiet.

00000

"So you're looking for someone?"

Sam nodded. He had entered the coffee house and ordered a large cup of coffee when this young man approached him. The man said that he had heard him asking the waitress about the girl and thought he might be able to help.

"What's her name?"

Sam turned to the man and studied him, wondering whether he was seriously offering his help. "Who are you anyway?" He asked, choosing to ignore his question. The man grinned and held out his hand.

"The name's Alec. Just a regular guy. And you are?"

Sam regarded the offered hand for a while before taking it and giving it a shake. "Sam. Call me Sam."

Alec nodded. _X5-599. Underwent major surgery, organ harvesting and yet here he is, healthy as me. What are the odds? Good thing the folks back there wiped his memory clean._

"I'm looking for this girl, Max. I need her help." Sam said, taking a sip of his coffee. Alec's eyes widened. _Small freakin' world indeed._ "Max? Can you describe her?" He asked, trying to see of they had the same Max in mind.

"She's really beautiful. Five six, maybe. Dark, curly, shoulder length hair. Mexican American, I think." Sam said as he tried to recall the memory. He looked up at the other man, who seemed to be deep in thought. "You know her?"

_Know her? I was her worst nightmare for eight months, buddy. _

"Maybe, I think I've seen her around." Alec studied Sam, the famed X5-599, former leader of the '09 escape. Lost. Unsure of himself. It was pathetic. And it was then that Alec made his decision.

"I know someone who can help you find her." He said, watching as the other X5's eyes light up.

_This is going to be interesting…_

00000

Constructive criticism appreciated. (It sounds WAAAY better than 'review please' right?)


	9. Collision

**Disclaimer:** Don't own them and never will.

**A/N:** I'm sooo sorry, this update took longer than I expected. I had a serious problem with the middle of this thing, and didn't know how to put what I had imagined in my head into words. So…please forgive me if some where in the middle some things don't sound right…

Thanks to all who reviewed, keep on rocking, people!

A lot of you are dead curious about what Alec is up to, but really, it's nothing big. It's gonna be kinda disappointing if you guys were expecting like secret spy stuff, espionage and all that…LOL…

Bettina: Yeah, I'm really Malaysian. Why do you ask?

**Chapter 9: Collision**

"You were supposed to CALL!"

Max jumped from her place on Logan's lap, nearly tipping them over on his wheelchair. Max turned, breathing heavily from the making out she had been participating in with Logan and came face to face with Original Cindy, seething with anger.

"Cindy!" She cried, immediately realizing how much she had missed her best friend. She was pulled into a fierce hug and she laughed as Cindy's hair tickled her nose.

They pulled apart and Cindy turned to Logan, pointing a menacing finger at him. "You were supposed to call Original Cindy when you got her back. Why is it that I hear the news from my boo's sister 'steada you? I thought we were tight?"

Logan grinned sheepishly at her, still dancing in the clouds the last make out session with Max had created in his head. "I was going to." He said. Cindy shook her head at him and turned back to Max.

"How've you been, boo?" She asked as she sat on the couch. Max joined her, settling herself beside her. "Okay, I guess…I just got back. I've been meaning to call, but things have been-"

"Busy?" Cindy supplied as she wiggled her eyebrows pointedly at Logan and then to Max. Max nearly choked on the water she had been sipping as she realized what Cindy was implying. "God, NO! I mean, yeah, we've been busy. But not _that_ kinda busy. Get your head outta the gutter, girl." Max said, smacking her friend on the arm gently.

Logan watched them, not understanding a single word that had been exchanged between them. "Are you guys hungry? I can make lunch." He offered, knowing that the two of them needed some time alone to catch up. They turned to him and nodded eagerly.

Max watched Logan's retreating back and then gasped in pain as Cindy smacked the back of her head. "What the hell?" She cried indignantly, rubbing her head. "You tell me, boo. You're back and you haven't got it on with him yet?" Cindy asked, her head tilting towards the kitchen.

"Well, no. There were other things…" She faltered as she remembered the emotion filled night before.

"But Original Cindy seemed to have interrupted something when she arrived, right?"

"Just 'cause we haven't…_got it on_ yet doesn't mean we don't make out." She answered and immediately regretting her words as she saw Cindy's face light up in delight at her confession.

"There's nothing to tell, Cin." She said immediately. "And it's not like you've never made out before." She added as she saw Cindy was about to say something else.

"Aaight. You win this time. But when you two finally kick it-" She began.

"I'll make sure you'll never find out." Max finished sarcastically.

The front door burst open and noisy voices filled the air. Max grinned as she realized who had arrived and got up to greet them.

"Cin, these here are my sibs. People, this is my best boo, Original Cindy."

00000

Alec stole a glance at the X5 beside him who had remained stoically silent throughout the entire hour they had been on the road. He remembered all those times in Manticore, that face flashing before him, along with eleven others, the traitor, the enemy. And yet here he was, next to him, silently tapping his fingers on the dashboard to the alternative rock music playing in the background.

"Where are we going?"

Alec turned to face him for a moment before turning back to the road. "Didn't think of that _before_ you got in the car?" He asked him back.

"You said you could help me, so I let you." Sam said, raising his voice.

"Look, buddy, chill. I can help. I'm just playing alright? We're almost there." He pointed vaguely to the cluster of buildings in front of them.

"Where?"

Alec sighed and sped up, and then almost immediately slowing to a stop as they neared a gray building. "Here."

Sam squinted against the sun as he tried to read the sign on the wall of the building. "Fogle Towers?" Alec nodded and killed the engine. "Fogle Towers." He reaffirmed.

Sam looked up at the building, feeling somewhat cheated. "You're saying someone who lives in this kind of place can help me find her? Max?" Alec nodded and walked up to the entrance.

_He can help you and more, buddy. _

FLASHBACK

_"Why is it so important for her to do this anyway?" _

_Alec, 494 at the time flicked through 452's progress report. "I don't get it. She just got here." He muttered. X5-315 sitting beside him chuckled. "You're just upset you didn't get that South Africa mission." He said as he pushed another file in front of him. _

_"Well, yeah, I am. Who wouldn't be?"_

_"Look at the bright side, 452's kinda hot." _

_494 shot 315 a glare. "We're all kinda hot. They made us that way. I just…don't get it. She's barely been here a year and they want her to go on a mission. It doesn't usually work that way."_

_"Well…" 315 leant towards him. 494 looked up from the files. "What?" _

_"Word is the '09-ers were a class above everyone else, right? I mean that's why they made it out. What if they needed her, specifically to take him out? It makes sense." _

_494 pondered his word and shook his head. "No. If that's the case, they could have used 599. The artificial heart they gave him is working. Besides the psy-ops worked on him better than it worked on her. There's more to it than that." _

_315 sighed. "Who are we to question it, anyway? They have their reasons." _

_And then a light bulb went off in 494's head. "Last year, there was a broadcast, remember, when the colonel first caught 599. Eyes Only warned the '09-ers about it. Remember?"_

_"Yeah." 315 was slowly getting what 494 was hinting at._

_"Think about it. God, why didn't we see this earlier? Eyes Only was helping them. 452, 599, probably the rest of them as well. That's why they need her on this mission. She's probably a familiar face to him, plus, she's female. It'll be easier to get close to him this way. And…to see where her loyalties really lie. That's what the director said before I started training her." _

_Alec leant back against the cold metal chair. "But she's one of us now. 452 is going to help us take him out." He added a while later. 315 got up noisily, his chair scraping against the cement floor. "It's none of our business, 494. Manticore's got their reasons for this. We're not supposed to question them." He repeated as he left. 494 sat there, still and silent for a little while more before realizing it was time to meet 452._

_He got up and gathered the papers strewn all over the table, one question playing over and over again in his head._

_How well did 452 know Eyes Only exactly?_

END FLASHBACK

"Who exactly is this friend of yours?" Sam asked as they entered the elevator. Alec grinned at the other man. "I never said he was a friend." The other man stared at him menacingly. "What?"

"I said I knew someone who could help you. I never said he was my friend." Alec repeated. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. "Then how do you know he'll help me?" Sam asked as they stepped out.

"The same way you knew I could help you."

Sam glared at Alec, knowing he had a point there. "What are you doing?" He asked as he noticed Alec bending down. Alec shushed him and pulled out a small box, the size of a pen out of his pocket. Sam's eyes widened as he realized what Alec was up to.

"Wait…don't you know this guy?"

Alec stood up, his lock pick left stuck in the key hole, not appreciating the constant interruptions. "No, I don't know him. Shut up and let me do this right, okay?" He turned back to the keyhole.

00000

"Girl, you hear that?" Fin's orange head whipped around as she tried to determine the source of the sound. The others fell silent, their laughter dying away as they too tried to hear the noise. Max shook her head, but remained silent, the years of training and the more recent months at Manticore had taught her not to be too presumptuous.

Jondy walked up to where they were, crowded around the kitchen counter. "What did you hear?" She whispered to Fin. Fin's head tilted towards the front door as a finger went to her lips. This time they all heard it. Scratching sounds from the front door, so soft only the trained ears of an X5 could hear it.

The effect of that single sound was astounding. Original Cindy, who was there as well, could only stare at wonder at the flurry of hand signals, fists and palms blurring in and out of her sight as they communicated noiselessly. Someone pulled her off her chair and pushed her gently into the guest room. She turned around, her heart hammering in her chest. The young blonde, Zane, if she remembered correctly, flashed her a smile and she grinned back at him giving him a thumbs up as she acknowledged his help.

Logan suddenly appeared by her side, protesting quietly as Max shoved him in too. "Just until it's safe, I promise." She said as she placed a kiss on his lips. Max noticed Cindy and smiled at her. "It's probably nothing, but be quiet, aiight?" Cindy nodded and Max turned, shutting the door quietly.

The two of them quickly placed their ears against the door.

Max hurried to the front door, meeting with Kaiser and Syl. The noises persisted and they grinned, knowing it was impossible for the intruder to force his way in. They glanced back, noting the shadows where the others were hiding, waiting to see if there was a threat behind the door.

"Three, two, one."

Kaiser pulled the door open and the intruder stumbled in, completely caught unaware. Max sidestepped the falling body and backed up. Syl pushed the door completely open as Kaiser hauled the body up.

The gasps that were emitted were simultaneous, loud and lead to the others emerging from the shadows.

"Zack!"

"Ben…Ben!"

"Zack?"

"Shit…" A low mutter came from Max as she realized who Kaiser was holding up by the neck. The smirk playing on his lips, the blonde hair falling past his eyes. She had hoped and wished and prayed that she would never see his face again. And yet, here he was.

_I feel irritated already._

She turned to the other man, and did a double take as she took in the face, the eyes, the nose…The owner of the heart she was using.

"Max?" He asked, studying her.

Max nodded and walked slowly to him. "You're Max?" He asked again. Max stopped short, a look of bewilderment crossed her face, quickly transforming into confusion and then pure anger as she realized that this wasn't her brother. "You're not Zack." She whispered.

"What is going on?"

Everyone whirled around to see the two non transgenics appear from the guest bedroom, the momentary confusion forgotten. And then.

"Fraternizing with the enemy, 452…I really expected more from you."

Max suddenly lunged at Alec, her fists raised and prepared to beat the crap out him. Two strong arms snaked around her waist, pulling her back, inches away from him. Oh how she wanted to wipe that smirk off his face.

"Calm down, Maxie. They're both unarmed." Zane's voice whispered in her ear. Max struggled to break free, but failed as the hands tightened around her. "Let me go. You don't understand…Let me go!"

"Maxie, it's alright…" Fin said from behind as she came up to them. Max glared at the men in front of her. "No. Its not...It's not Ben. That's not Zack." She whispered angrily.

"What?"

The arms that held her captive loosened and she took advantage of that to shake them off. She grabbed Alec's collar and threw him to the floor, a sharp "Hey!" as he landed unceremoniously in front of the group. "That…" She said, pointing to him. "That's X5-494. He's Ben's clone. And him…" She said as she pointed to Sam, "He's probably another one of them."

The group remained silent, their eyes traveling to Max, Alec and Sam. Only the whirring of the exoskeleton disturbed the quiet. Max shook her head in disbelief. "Don't you guys get it? They're Manticore!"

"Manticore's gone, Maxie…" Jondy said quietly.

"Yeah. And it's all your fault." Alec said as he picked himself up. Everyone turned to him, question in their eyes. "You guys were the ones who blew the place up, weren't you? You destroyed it."

"Can someone please explain this…Alec who the hell are these people? What the hell is Manticore?"

Every one in the room stared at Sam, not believing a word that had come out of the guy's mouth.

"Are you for real?" Jondy asked as her eyes darted to and from the two men in front of her. She went behind them and with both hands shoved their heads down and after taking a long look, let their heads back up.

"Maxie…he _is _Zack."

Max shook her head stubbornly, arms folded across her chest. "He's a clone, they both are."

"No, baby sister. He's got the same barcode number. That other guy, yeah he's not Ben. But…599, this is Zack."

Max stood, dumbfounded. _No, he's not Zack. Zack's dead. His heart is in me. His heart is beating in me. _

Everyone was silent, grouped around the two men, the tension in the air a mile thick. Alec was calculating his chances of escape, but abandoned the idea as he realized he was facing six of the '09 escapees, six of the twelve believed to be the best of the lot.

"We're not here to create problems." He said, breaking the silence.

"I just want to know what the hell is going on." Sam continued, taking advantage of the sudden lull of violence. He fingered the back of his neck, where Jondy had said there was a barcode.

"We should go to the living room." Logan suggested as he realized they were getting nowhere just staring at each other. Everyone nodded simultaneously, and slowly moved towards the room. The two newcomers followed them.

"Original Cindy be leaving now. She don't want her good name be associated with any ass kicking that might go down later. I'll see ya around, aaight?" Original Cindy said as she bid Max goodbye. Max nodded and watched as she went out. She turned around to follow the others, but came face to face with Logan, who was apparently waiting for her.

"What?" She asked, noticing his grim expression.

"That clone…"

"I called him Alec, back at Manticore. I wanted to give him a name." She explained, still not getting why Logan was there.

"What he said, when he saw me…fraternizing with the enemy? What did he mean by that?" Logan asked her, his voice dangerously low, as if he already knew the answer and was merely seeking confirmation.

Max bit her lip nervously as she realized she had left out certain details of how she had managed to escape Manticore when they had had their 'talk'.

_How the hell did I let it slip my mind? I was supposed to KILL you, dammit… Shit, Logan, I'm sorry…_

"Max?" Logan pressed, as he saw her avoid his eyes.

"I…We were partnered, for a mission…" She stopped, not sure how to convey in words how sorry she felt. She saw Logan clench his jaw, the muscles in his face tightening as he turned away from her.

"To kill me?"

"Logan…" Her voice cracked, not used to hearing the underlying anger in his words. It scared her.

"When were you going to tell me?" He asked, still turned away from her. Max felt helpless as his voice got louder. He turned back to her, his blue eyes fierce and angry.

"Manticore knew about Eyes Only and you…how could you not tell me that, Max? Do you know how _dangerous_ that is? If anyone…ANYONE got hold of the information, I…you, the both of us, do you know what could happen, Max?" His voice a harsh whisper in her ear, not wanting to alert the people in the other room.

Max clenched her fists to her sides, holding back the tears that had threatened to fall when she realized how much of a risk she had put the man she loved in. She couldn't answer him, she was afraid if she did, she would break down again. Her fears, ever present back when she was at Manticore came rushing back to her, as if they had taken a sabbatical and now were back to haunt her.

The guilt of knowing she was the one who had given him up, that she was the one who had put him in so much danger, it had been eating at her insides and the guilt had numbed for a while for the past few days.

It was back.

Logan stood, watching her controlling herself. He wanted to reach out to her, to stroke her hair and whisper that it as alright in her ears. He couldn't. It tore him up, knowing how close he had come to being exposed, and not knowing about it. And it was then, as he watched his angel suffering quietly in front of him, that it suddenly struck him.

She had told them.

"It was you…"

Max looked up at his words and he knew he was right. "Logan…" She whispered, her voice wavering. "I didn't mean to…I couldn't …It had hurt so much…" She was scared now, he could tell. It reminded him of the night before as she sat cocooned in his arms grieving for the brother who was currently sitting in his living room.

"I'm sorry…" She pleaded, willing him to smile at her, to soothe her fears, her guilt.

He didn't. She hadn't really expected him to.

Instead, he turned from her again and walked to the others in the living room. "We should see how the others are doing." He said curtly. Max closed her eyes, and tried to control her breathing as to not alert her siblings to what she was going through. She took a deep breath, calming herself down and headed in after Logan, knowing that another 'talk' was in the works.

_This time,_ she vowed to herself,_ I'm not leaving any fucking thing out._

00000

Loved it? Hated it? On the fence? Let me know.


	10. Yours, Mine, Ours

A/N: I know, I know, I promised it wouldn't take this long. I'm terribly sorry. Very, very sorry about the delay. Real life again, I know it's not a good excuse, but it's the only one I've got. Thank you so much to those who reviewed the last chapter. Much appreciated.

00000

**Chapter 10**

**Mine, Yours, Ours.**

Everyone noticed the grim expressions on both Max and Logan's faces as they walked in, but refused to comment. They had overheard bits and pieces of their heated conversation and thought that it was best to pretend nothing was amiss.

"He's lost his memory." Jondy said as they took their places on the long couch. "Can't remember a single thing."

"If you people could just explain to me…anything. Maybe I will remember. I remembered you." Zack nodded towards Max. "And I remembered Becky."

The room was silent as everyone contemplated what to do next.

"You were our brother." Krit suddenly spoke up. "You watched out for us, all of us, even when you didn't have to."

Zack nodded slowly. "Who am I exactly, who were…our parents? Why was I in that burning place? Manticore?" He asked. He turned to Alec. "And who is he? He obviously doesn't know you guys, how come he knew me?"

"I just wanted to help. And, if everything is fine and dandy here now, I'd like to make a move. I got places to be." Alec got up, but was pushed back down harshly by Zane. "You're not going anywhere until we say you can go."

"Rude, much. You could've just said no. Didn't have to hurt me." He rubbed his shoulder where Zane had shoved him and glared him.

Max watched the exchange pensively, her mind occasionally making its way down memory lane. Logan sat far away from her, a cold wall surrounding him. She remembered the last time he had been like this, when his legs were giving up on him after the transfusion. She had been the cause of that particular pain as well. Giving him false hope.

Her siblings had begun explaining to Zack about Manticore, where they had come from and she could only watch as her former CO took everything in calmly.

Zack had been the one who couldn't leave Manticore behind, even after they escaped and yet here he was being told about the hell they had gone through. That was wrong. Everything was wrong.

Her heart, or rather, Zack's heart was hammering against her chest and suddenly she couldn't stand it anymore. From Logan's cold indifference towards her, Zack's amnesia, to Alec's irritating smirk from the corner of the room.

They all happened in some way because of her.

And it was too overwhelming. She had to leave. Now.

"I gotta jet." She whispered to no one in particular and ran out the door, letting it slam behind her and leaving everyone in the room in a stunned silence.

"What's her problem?" Alec asked once he got over Max's sudden disappearance.

"Someone should-" Jondy started, but was cut off by Logan, who had gotten up to put on his jacket.

"I got it."

00000

Somehow, cruising on her baby wasn't as thrilling as it used to be. Max had been riding for over half an hour and she still didn't feel any better. The rush of adrenaline she craved for didn't come and the sense of freedom that always came from her midnight endeavors on the road wasn't as satisfying as it used to be.

Before she realized it, she was looking up at the old, dilapidated building she once used to call her home. How the hell did she end up all the way here?

_Old habits die hard._

She looked around, unsure what her next move was supposed to be.

_Well, since I'm already here…_

Max killed the engine and draped a discarded comforter over her bike. She pushed the rusty doors open and slowly made her way up the seven floors.

00000

"What's wrong, boo?"

Max shook her head and continued to stare into the cup of hot chocolate. Original Cindy sighed and sat down beside her, frustration clearly written on her face.

"Well, you better start talking, and soon too, sugah, or Original Cindy will lay a smack down on your ass. You my best boo, and no way is Original Cindy gonna let you mope like this."

Max remained silent, slowly sipping her hot chocolate.

"Your boy called a couple of times." Original Cindy told her, thinking that it would get a reaction out of Max, but Max just nodded and then went still again, staring into space. "I promised to call him if you came by. He's worried about you, boo." Cindy continued, trying to get Max to talk.

Max whipped her head up at that and Cindy noticed the anger in her eyes. "Worried about me? Don't think so." She snapped back. And then her expression softened and she quickly apologized as she realized she was taking out her frustration on the wrong person.

"You guys got into a fight?"

Max let out a loud breath and nodded again. "Yeah. I didn't think it would get like this. God…He's so god damned infuriating." Max pushed away the chair as she got up and walked to the window across the room. Now she had started, she couldn't stop the words from coming out of her mouth. "And all this about Zack, its making the situation worse…He _died._ I saw him, you know." She stared out into the night and then turned back to Cindy who was waiting patiently for her to continue.

"He was hooked up on these tubes. They harvested him, gave his organs to other people. He was _dead. _He died for me. And yet…he's there, at Logan's. It's just so… so screwed up."

Cindy went over to Max and laid a hand on her shoulder. "It'll get better. Life's like that sometimes, boo. You just gotta deal with it." She squeezed her shoulder and felt Max relax a little. "And the thing with you and hotboy…"

Max shook her head. "Its nothing. And it's definitely got nothing to do with anyone else." She said pointedly to Cindy. She leaned her forehead on the cool glass of the window, cherishing the soft, calming 'drip, drip' of the raindrops as it hit the glass.

"Then what are you doing here in stead of being over there working it out with him?" Cindy asked, sitting back down on the worn out couch in the middle of the room.

"I needed some space, you know, get away from it all. Alec, Zack, Logan…My siblings…it became too much, too fast. And then there are those people, transgenics who are out there, now, running about 'cause I freed them… What about them? What if… they get violent, and start killing? Cindy, it'll be on me. Do you get it? It's my fault. All of it."

Max was breathing hard now, her fists clenched so tight she could swear she was drawing blood from her palms. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'm going crazy."

"No, you're just…like you said, too much, too fast. Take some time, figure everything out, it'll all be okay, chica." Original Cindy said as she got up and enveloped Max in a warm hug.

Max nodded, sighing as she plopped herself down onto the worn out couch. "You got a new TV." She remarked as she took note of the smooth black screen peeking out of a TV cabinet in front of her. Cindy showed her the remote, grinning as she did so.

"Yeah, and about damn time too. Not as many channels as Logan's got over at his pad, but Original Cindy can deal with that." The TV flickered on and Max let a smile escape as she watched colourful cartoon girls fly around the screen.

"You know what, Cin? I missed this. Powerpuff Girls. No cartoons back at that hellhole, definitely no powerpuff." She let out a snort of laughter at Original Cindy's expression. "Wha-at."

"I take it back, boo. You are definitely going crazy."

"I like them. Created in a lab, spiced up with that Chemical X thing. Sorta reminds me of me… a little." Max replied, her eyes still fixed on the colourful TV screen. The phone rang and Original Cindy walked over to answer it.

"If its Logan, tell him I'm not here." Max said, turning to her. Cindy gave her a look and answered the phone. Max watched her friend closely, trying to guess who it was.

"Yeah? Uh- huh…Yeah, right here. She's fine, Logan-" Cindy quickly bent down, ducking the pillow that had been thrown her way. Max glared at her, as if daring her to say another word.

"Yeah, still here. Just trying to avoid your girl tryin' to end my life. Okay. See ya." Cindy hung up. Max was sulking, her hands now taking it out on the remote control, fiercely jabbing at the buttons and her unseeing eyes focused on the TV.

"He's coming?" She asked, still flipping through the channels. She felt the couch sag and she stopped her attack on the remote. Cindy sat at the other end, smirking. "I ain't gonna let you leave, boo. You guys gotta talk it out. "

"I wasn't gonna leave."

"Well, good, cause Original Cindy's got a hot date at Crash and she don't wanna be late. Think you can do this on your own?"

"Sure I can do this. Just like how I can cook too." She muttered sarcastically as she watched Cindy grab her jacket, ready to leave. "I'm just a call away, boo." Cindy said, ignoring her comment.

The door opened and shut out of her sight and she settled back down onto the worn out couch. She waited for him, idly surfing through the channels again. How was she going to deal with him? How do you apologize for not telling someone they were supposed to be killed? She sighed and cradled her head between her hands.

Whatever happened, it was going to be a long night.

The doorbell rang. It was a wonder how even that came as a surprise. Maybe she had been expecting him to just walk in, the way _she_ always did. Maybe she had expected him to knock angrily, make a racket, which would force her to pull him in hurriedly. He did none of the above.

_He rang the damn doorbell. Like a perfect freakin' gentleman. Shoulda known._ She thought as she made her way to the door.

He stood on the other side, expressionless. Max took a few seconds to assess the situation, staring at him silently. He wasn't angry.

_Honey, expressionless does not mean not angry._

"You gonna let me in?" He voiced out, suddenly very aware that he had been standing there for a while. Max nodded and pulled the door open wider, letting him pass through. She shut the door after him and locked it securely.

_Now or never, sister. _

Logan turned to look at her intently, his blue eyes focused on her. "You weren't on the Space Needle." He said simply to her.

_He actually went up there? _

"Figured it was gonna rain. Safer to be here than there." She replied. Logan nodded, but remained silent.

"Why are you here, Logan?" She asked, surprised at how cold her voice sounded. Logan sighed and closed his eyes momentarily. How was it that even as infuriating as she was, he still loved her so much? Max noticed his weariness as he paused before answering.

"You just left. We- I was worried about you." A small smile played on the corner of his lips as he became aware that Max had taken note of his tiredness and was motioning for them to sit. Max was nervous, he noted as he watched her pull both of her legs up to tuck them underneath her.

They fell into another round of silence. Logan watched as Max's eyes darted from one corner of the room to the next, but determined not to meet him. He reached out to her, wanting to soothe his love, tell her that he wasn't angry anymore. Max pulled back, avoiding his touch and her eyes flared in anger as she saw the confusion in his face.

"Why can't you just yell at me?"

Surprise was evident on Logan's face. "What?"

"When you're angry, you yell. You're supposed to yell, Logan. Not, come here, and just sit there, like everything is okay." She said softly. Logan started to reply, but Max shook her head and stood up.

"See? That's your problem. You shut things inside yourself, and then, later, alone, you brood over it. Just shout at me because I didn't tell you I was sent to kill you. Don't sit there and…smile, for god's sake!" Her eyes were wide and bright, fists clenched at her sides as she loomed over him over the couch.

"I'm not angry." He said. He pulled her down, making her sit next to him, albeit knowing probably wanted to rip him to shards at that moment. He tugged her arms, forcing her to look at him.

"Do I look angry to you?" He asked her, still patiently holding her arms.

"You're never angry. At least, not in front of me. How the hell am I supposed to know if you _look_ angry?" She snapped back, still frustrated with him. The anger was ebbing away though, as she noticed that Logan really did not look as if he was going to bite her head off.

"I understand. You were, possibly still are, overwhelmed with everything going on. It's easy to forget about things that don't matter anymore. I don't mean that it was right, it definitely wasn't the smartest thing to do, but you told me, right? You told me, straight up when I asked you, and didn't beat around the bushes."

"But you had to ask me. I wouldn't have told you if you didn't." Max said to him, carefully avoiding his eyes. "I mean, I should have remembered that it was important to you…to us…I should have, but I didn't." She continued after a while.

Logan's moved up, cupping her head as he kissed her softly. Max visibly relaxed, leaning into Logan as she returned his kiss. They pulled apart and Logan stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"It's no big deal. Not anymore, okay?" He whispered to her. They shifted on the couch, so they were lying, Max on top of him, her head buried in his chest. "Don't beat yourself up over it. It's no big deal." Logan repeated as he ran his hands through her hair. "I'm not the most open person either when it comes to secrets."

Max chuckled into his shirt and nodded in agreement. "No, you're not." Logan hugged her tighter to him.

"So…we're okay?"

Max noticed the slight hesitation behind the question and lifted up her head to meet his blue gaze. "Yeah, I guess." She stretched up towards him and kissed him, soft and gentle, conveying her unspoken love for him. Logan responded in kind, instinctively moving his hands to bury them into her hair.

Logan groaned as he felt her hands slip under his sweater and had started to roam across his chest. He moved backwards, so that he was half leaning against the arm rest of the couch as Max continued her assault on his lips. He ran his tongue along her lips and she parted them, allowing him to slip inside.

_Electric. _

As their tongues met and dueled, Max realized she was losing control to him, his hands under her shirt, cupping her bottom, in her hair. He was everywhere. He tasted good. She moved to straddle him, and Logan switched his attack to her neck, biting, suckling. Max gripped his sweater, unable to form any coherent thought as he continued to tease her.

"Logan…" She moaned and nudged his head up for another heated kiss. How the situation suddenly became so hot and passionate, she didn't know, but she sure as hell wasn't complaining. Long moments passed as they made out on the couch. Max pulled away, breathless. Logan's eyes flew open, dark and questioning.

"Shirt, off." She said, a feral grin on her face as he willingly complied and pulled his sweater off. She growled, appreciating his muscled body and let her eyes roam down, and then up again to meet his gaze. He was watching her, amused.

"You like?"

She nodded and stuck her tongue out at him as her hands traced the contours of his chest. "I like." Logan grinned and kissed her again. He tugged at her shirt and Max pulled away briefly to allow him to fully pull it off. Logan paused as he took her in, black bra, golden skin.

"Max?" His voice was hoarse and his breathing laboured.

"What?" Max asked him, thoroughly enjoying the affect she had on him.

"You're beautiful." He whispered, pulling her to his lips again. That did it. She was already aroused from his earlier ministrations, and at the rate they were going, they were going to need to move to her room, and quick.

Logan's hands were inching towards her breasts, feather light touches flitting across her skin. Max lifted herself slightly from his lap, giving herself more access.

_What the…_

Max pulled away from him and sat back. A grin was spreading across her face and Logan's frustrated expression at her frequent interruptions was amusing. She giggled, and moved again, confirming her earlier suspisions.

"Max…what?"

She raised her eyebrows and she looked at Logan pointedly.

"Apparently, some things still work, huh?" She asked him, suggestively rocking against his thighs. She watched as Logan's eyes widened, realizing what she was talking about. He looked back up at her, a smile playing on his lips.

"Sometimes it does…when I'm lucky…" He said, his eyes teasing her as his hands rested against her waist.

"Well then…I guess… we're getting lucky tonight." Max shot back at him, eyes bright with anticipation. Logan laughed and was immediately silenced by Max who had started kissing him again. His hands toyed at the waistband of her pants, loving the feeling of her taut bottom against his fingers.

Max stopped kissing him and Logan was about to protest about the constant breaks when she got up and held a hand out to him.

"Bedroom, Logan. Now."

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